Nigerian Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said President Bola Tinubu-led administration is not responsible for the present economic hardships in the country.
Umahi shared this information on Sunday during a press briefing in his native Uburu, situated in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi.
He pointed to several antecedent factors as the reasons for the hardships.
The minister stated that, for instance, conflicts between farmers and herders, among other security issues left by previous administrations, had negatively impacted food production.
“I was the Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC) committee on resolving farmers and herders conflicts and I settled such conflicts in several states, especially in the north.
“Such settlements yielded fruits but the problem had dealt a lot of blow on food production with farmers prevented from going to their farms,” he said.
He observed that, as an example, the south-east geo-political zone was currently experiencing freedom from the constant conflict between farmers and herders, indicating that President Tinubu had resolved its primary issue.
In addition, Umahi lauded President Tinubu for ordering cement manufacturers to return to their previous pricing, thereby mitigating the impacts of the hardship.
“That is why we should not join the protests on economic hardship because if you remove the gunmen issue, the zone will be safe and farmers can work.
“The president is a compassionate leader who feels the sufferings of his people and we expect the manufacturers to comply with the presidential directive,” he added.
What you should know
Nigeria currently grapples with an unprecedented food inflation which stands at 35.41% according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics.
As a result, the prices of food items have quadruple, leading to food crisis and a nationwide protest by the organized labour over the persistent hunger in the country.
Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a generous donation of 25,000 tons of wheat from the Government of Ukraine that will help provide emergency food assistance to 1.3 million crisis-affected people in Nigeria.
The shipment was made possible following a collaborative effort from the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Republic of Korea and Sweden, which helped cover the costs of transporting the wheat from Ukraine to Nigeria and its distribution to the families who so urgently need it.
According to WFP, deadly conflicts have displaced millions of households from their homes and farmlands which negatively affected food production and supply.
Credit: Nairametrics
