Venezuelans' struggle with the wind
June 20 2016 By Abiodun Giwa
People in Venezuela queue for food (Courtesy: Reuters/Marco Bello)
Venezuela has the world's oil reserve, but the fall in the price of oil and other economic problems that have bedeviled the South American country have translated into hunger, according to new York Times report on Sunday.
The report showed a photograph with an empty food cupboard, a refrigerator without a door and a woman and her children clung together with misery written boldly on their faces.
It is the picture of Venezuelans in a struggle with hunger, which no one would open its door, but has always find its way to places inhabited by humans. Just like it has recently find its way to several oil producing countries, following the drastic fall in the price of oil.
The news from Saudi Arabia and Nigeria and other oil producing countries have shown that all these oil producing countries have one thing in common, the struggle with the wind of change necessitated by the fall in oil prices. Nigeria wants to feed school children to encourage children to attend school, but there is still a struggle between that central government and the state government about which arm of the government will pay the bill in the face of dwindled income.
Saudi Arabia recently announced changes expected to take care of necessities caused by the fall in the price of oil. Many Nigerians who have never witnessed the type of sudden economic strangulation, which dwindled income due to the fall in oil price, have been crying out against what is equivalent of hunger, to the extent that the Sultan of Sokoto, Saa'd Abubakar III, urged the central government in Abuja, to allow imported rice into the country to stake off hunger.
Last Sunday, Nigeria 's Punch newspaper reported Nigerian students from affluent homes, whose parents can no longer afford the payment of their school fees abroad are on the verge of returning home, to seek transfer to Nigerians schools. It the rich are feeling the weight of the downturn in income and the struggle to keep the country afloat, would the poor not be nearly going hungry or on the verger of hunger?
Venezuelans are reportedly in hunger, and the country is in the same dire economic situation it was, when Hugo Chavez came on the scene with a socialist revolution, meaning that the current opposition party in the country is also in a position to do what Chavez did to gain power. And Nicolas Maduro, who succeeded Chavez, has been having a running battle with the United States and he has been looking toward Cuba for assistance, just like it has been reported that Venezuela has adopted food rationing among the people, like it is done Cuba.
Another angle to the Venezuela's political and economic debacle is that Maduro has accused the right wing opposition leaders for the orchestration of the dire economic situation in the country, rather than accept the reality of the worsening situation, which may have been exacerbated by the fall in oil price.
Observers believe that it is not a rosy time for all the oil producing countries, and that lack of insufficient income against budgetary expectation, which will undoubtedly result in lack of necessary provisions for the majority of the population that are poor. Some Observers have likened the development in oil producing countries to the incident in Biblical Egypt, when Joseph became the point man for the management of resources that saved Egypt from famine. Current situations in several of the oil producing countries is already flashing red signals.
Therefore, these observers say that leaders in the oil producing countries will have to show their love for the ordinary people, be frugal with the management of scarce resources, to avoid hunger and political upheavals, capable of leading to forceful change of government. It is a wind that has already become manifest in Venezuela and other oil producing countries currently faced with dwindled income.
Many people believe that it will be matter of time before the world begins to see the poor people affected by arising poor economic situation in those countries in protest against the sitting governments, and unless the countries' income improve or the little that they realize is properly managed.
Maduro is already facing a recall in Venezuela, but political analysts say incessant angry people's protest on the street may be more difficult for him to manage than a recall.
The report showed a photograph with an empty food cupboard, a refrigerator without a door and a woman and her children clung together with misery written boldly on their faces.
It is the picture of Venezuelans in a struggle with hunger, which no one would open its door, but has always find its way to places inhabited by humans. Just like it has recently find its way to several oil producing countries, following the drastic fall in the price of oil.
The news from Saudi Arabia and Nigeria and other oil producing countries have shown that all these oil producing countries have one thing in common, the struggle with the wind of change necessitated by the fall in oil prices. Nigeria wants to feed school children to encourage children to attend school, but there is still a struggle between that central government and the state government about which arm of the government will pay the bill in the face of dwindled income.
Saudi Arabia recently announced changes expected to take care of necessities caused by the fall in the price of oil. Many Nigerians who have never witnessed the type of sudden economic strangulation, which dwindled income due to the fall in oil price, have been crying out against what is equivalent of hunger, to the extent that the Sultan of Sokoto, Saa'd Abubakar III, urged the central government in Abuja, to allow imported rice into the country to stake off hunger.
Last Sunday, Nigeria 's Punch newspaper reported Nigerian students from affluent homes, whose parents can no longer afford the payment of their school fees abroad are on the verge of returning home, to seek transfer to Nigerians schools. It the rich are feeling the weight of the downturn in income and the struggle to keep the country afloat, would the poor not be nearly going hungry or on the verger of hunger?
Venezuelans are reportedly in hunger, and the country is in the same dire economic situation it was, when Hugo Chavez came on the scene with a socialist revolution, meaning that the current opposition party in the country is also in a position to do what Chavez did to gain power. And Nicolas Maduro, who succeeded Chavez, has been having a running battle with the United States and he has been looking toward Cuba for assistance, just like it has been reported that Venezuela has adopted food rationing among the people, like it is done Cuba.
Another angle to the Venezuela's political and economic debacle is that Maduro has accused the right wing opposition leaders for the orchestration of the dire economic situation in the country, rather than accept the reality of the worsening situation, which may have been exacerbated by the fall in oil price.
Observers believe that it is not a rosy time for all the oil producing countries, and that lack of insufficient income against budgetary expectation, which will undoubtedly result in lack of necessary provisions for the majority of the population that are poor. Some Observers have likened the development in oil producing countries to the incident in Biblical Egypt, when Joseph became the point man for the management of resources that saved Egypt from famine. Current situations in several of the oil producing countries is already flashing red signals.
Therefore, these observers say that leaders in the oil producing countries will have to show their love for the ordinary people, be frugal with the management of scarce resources, to avoid hunger and political upheavals, capable of leading to forceful change of government. It is a wind that has already become manifest in Venezuela and other oil producing countries currently faced with dwindled income.
Many people believe that it will be matter of time before the world begins to see the poor people affected by arising poor economic situation in those countries in protest against the sitting governments, and unless the countries' income improve or the little that they realize is properly managed.
Maduro is already facing a recall in Venezuela, but political analysts say incessant angry people's protest on the street may be more difficult for him to manage than a recall.
