…people are now dying while scrambling for food – we have never had it this bad
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP at the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, has lamented that Nigeria has never faced such an economic hardship in her history where the lives of citizens get cheaper daily.
Obi disclosed this on Monday evening while reacting to the death of students and residents of Nasarawa State University, Nasarawa and Bauchi State.
“It is saddening how cheap life has become in this country today. It is now a daily occurrence to read reports of our fellow Nigerians who lose their lives while struggling for basic food to eat.
“Just 3 days ago, I lamented the disheartening occurrence involving some of our children at Nasarawa State University who lost their lives in a stampede while hustling for government-provided food.
“Yesterday, another four people also reportedly lost their lives in a stampede during an almsgiving zakat exercise for the poor in Bauchi State. These regular occurrences of stampede and struggle for food only reflect the depth of hunger and starvation in the country.
“It also shows the level of desperation among our people. With food prices soaring higher every day and our nation continuing to wallow in unproductivity, our people now live their lives not knowing where the next meal will come from,” Obi posted on his X account.
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The former governor of Anambra State said, “What is more concerning is the report of UNICEF projecting that over 30 million Nigerians will face acute hunger during the lean months, between June and August.
“We now have a situation where our people are losing their lives to hunger before the projected timeline. The physical hunt and struggle for scarce food has become a life-threatening adventure in itself.
“We have never had it this bad in the nation as we do now, and unless very urgent actions are taken, the situation may get worse.”
Obi further suggested and appealed to the government “to release every resource, human and material, needed to end insecurity in the country, so that farmers can return to the farms, and with the government’s support, ensure that our vast arable lands in the North are fully explored to feed Nigerians and export to the rest of the world.”
He also commiserated with the bereaved families of the dead and prayed “God to console them, and all of us, and grant them eternal rest.”
