Governor Mohammed Umar Bago expressed his dismay over Nigeria’s acceptance of food aid from conflict-ridden Ukraine, echoing the sentiments previously articulated by Peter Obi.
Speaking at the Leadership Award ceremony hosted at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Tuesday, Governor Bago highlighted the shameful nature of Nigeria relying on assistance from a country experiencing war and instability.
Both Bago and Obi were honored recipients at the prestigious event.
“My boss,” the Niger governor told Mr Obi, “you are very right on what you’ve said. “We have no reason to be poor. People may not like you, but they must hear you. What you say is the gospel truth.”
Highlighting Mr Obi’s stance, the governor, a member of President BolaTinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress, said, “It is time we tell ourselves the basic truth. We need to feed ourselves. It is a shame for people (sic) like Ukraine in war to be giving us food.”
He further said, “Nigeria needs to be productive. You cannot be out of poverty unless you start to produce. I’m not an advocate of handouts and palliative. I don’t believe in it.”
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Recently, the Ukrainian government extended a helping hand by donating 25,000 tonnes of wheat to support 1.3 million vulnerable individuals in the crisis-stricken North-East of Nigeria, grappling with surging inflation and escalating food costs.
In response, Mr. Obi expressed his disappointment, labeling it as “disheartening” and deeming it a national embarrassment that Nigeria, a country known for its vast resources, is receiving food aid from war-torn Ukraine.
Contrarily, Information Minister Mohammed Idris held a differing perspective, seeing no issue with accepting donations from Ukraine, despite its turbulent circumstances.
“The fact that we are having challenges at the moment does not make Nigeria a failed state,” said Mr Idris. “Therefore, accepting grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria or Egypt failed countries.”
