Gom Mirian
Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has backed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 polls, Peter Obi, in his criticism of Nigeria receiving food donations from war-torn Ukraine.
Speaking at a Leadership Award ceremony in Abuja, Governor Bago agreed with Obi’s statement, calling it “the gospel truth.”
“We have no reason to be poor. We need to feed ourselves,” Bago stated. “It is a shame for people like Ukraine, who are experiencing war, to be giving us food.”
He emphasised the importance of Nigeria becoming productive and self-sufficient, rather than relying on handouts and palliatives.
Obi’s criticism of Nigeria accepting 25,000 metric tonnes of wheat from Ukraine came as a surprise to many.
The donation was intended to provide emergency food assistance to 1.3 million crisis-affected people in North-East Nigeria. Despite the war-torn status of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched the “Grain from Ukraine” initiative to support countries in need.
However, Obi argued that Nigeria, a country that is officially at peace, should not be accepting food donations from a nation in conflict.
He labelled it a national disgrace and blamed years of leadership failure in Nigeria for the situation.
In response to Obi’s criticism, the Nigerian government defended the acceptance of grains from Ukraine, stating that it does not make the country weak or fail.
Despite this, Bago’s support for Obi’s stance highlights the growing concern among political figures about Nigeria’s reliance on foreign aid.
