Rasaki Oladejo, the president of the Muslim Ummah of South-West Nigeria (MUSWEN), has warned President Bola Tinubub that importing food will not eliminate economic hardship in Nigeria.

Mr Oladejo gave the advice during MUSWEN’s 9th General Assembly 2024 on Sunday in Ibadan.

“Let me sound a note of warning that food importation should not be an option to be considered. It is not a solution because it will make a mockery of subsidy removal,” said the MUSWEN president.

Mr Oladejo said, however, that while the government’s economic policies were harsh, they were meant to correct the maladministration of the past and put the country on a firm economic footing.

The South-West Islamic leader urged the government to utilise the gains made from subsidy removal to improve security, infrastructure development, electricity, massive food production, and employment-generating projects.

The MUSWEN president also said the current economic situation in Nigeria required serious caution to handle, urging the government to show more human feelings.

He urged Mr Tinubu’s government to implement measures to mitigate the general suffering brought on the citizenry by some economic policies.

“Although we recognise the situation is not the creation of the Bola Tinubu administration, the government should do all in its power to alleviate the sufferings of the people,” Mr Oladejo said.

He added, “President Tinubu should make life comfortable for the people, even as I also urge Nigerians to be careful and not play into the hands of politicians who have never seen anything good in Tinubu’s administration.”

The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, urged Muslims to assist the less privileged and sponsor more female Muslim students to become doctors.

Mr Abubakar pledged to continue sponsoring 12 female students in the South-West states to become doctors and urged Muslims always to be their brothers’ keepers.

“The unity of Islam is not negotiable, and Muslims should not allow anyone to come in between them,” he said.

Governor Seyi Makinde said Muslims in the South-West have much to do to foster unity in the region.

Mr Makinde pledged his administration’s readiness to support Muslims in Oyo.

(NAN)