The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has called on governments at all levels to respond with empathy and compassion to the plight of the poor amidst the ongoing building demolitions nationwide.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, the former governor of Anambra State proposed alternative measures to address violations of rules or building codes, emphasizing the importance of avoiding actions that worsen the hardships faced by citizens.
Obi wrote: “What a responsive government should be doing under the current harsh economic conditions in the country is to come up with measures aimed at alleviating the people’s hardships and to carry out measures that will take more people out of poverty.
“Even if there are some violations as the governments are claiming, this critical time is not auspicious for such an exercise knowing the hardship in the land and the consequences it will have on the poor who are struggling to make ends meet with their little resources.
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“The poor in our midst who are putting their meager resources are going through very severe financial stress that should not be multiplied further. In some cases, the properties being demolished are the lifetime savings and retirement abodes of the aged and incapacitated.
“My appeal therefore is for the respective governments involved in this act to consider the hardship in the country and try and put a human face to their actions. While we should enforce sensible regulations, all actions of government must show compassion.”