The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has attributed the widespread hunger and economic hardship in the country to the federal government’s failure to address terrorism, particularly attacks on farmers by bandits and kidnappers.
In a press release titled “Hunger in the Land: Resolving Insecurity and Creating Job Opportunities for Nigerians,” signed by Prof. Benjamin Okaba, President of the organization, the INC noted that there was an increase in food insecurity nationwide.
According to him, “That there is hunger and deepening economic hardship in Nigeria is an incontrovertible and socially menacing fact nationwide. It is curious that the shout of ‘ebi n pawa’ (we are hungry) is louder and more strident in the Yoruba area of the Southwest where President Bola Tinubu comes from.
“Even as it is an irony, the truth is that the hunger in the land cuts across all ethnic territories and nationalities. No exceptions. The INC has watched the drift of national discourse on the issue of food insecurity with keen interest. It is the strong belief of the INC that lamenting food insecurity in isolation of the general insecurity in the nation amounts to dealing with the symptoms and leaving out the fundamental problem of general insecurity.”
Prof. Okaba expressed concerns over the hunger in the nation, attributing it to the displacement of subsistence farmers who have always been the backbone of food production. He further blamed the federal government for not being considerate enough to address insecurity, particularly in dealing with bandits who are most responsible for the violence against farmers.
He said, “Why would there not be hunger in the country, where subsistence farmers who have been known to be the food providers to the nation from time immemorial, are maimed, killed daily, and violently chased away from their farmlands for malicious and criminal reasons?
“In the wake of the heightened insecurity challenge, the Federal Government continually demonstrates a lack of commitment in dealing with the bandits and marauders that are ravaging, killing, and maiming helpless farmers across the country. Nobody deals with murderous criminals with kid gloves as Nigeria does.”