….says Nigeria in league of 20 hungriest nations
Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last year’s general election, Peter Obi, has responded to attacks over his comments on the grain assistance from war ravaged Ukraine to Nigeria.
Ukraine had donated 25,000 tonnes of wheat as emergency food assistance to 1.3 million vulnerable people in the North of Nigeria.
But Obi criticised the decision of the Federal Government to accept the donation from Ukraine, describing the acceptance as disheartening and a national disgrace.
The Federal Government had instantly hit back at Obi saying accepting grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria a failed State.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said Egypt got about 60 per cent of its grains from Ukraine and that the fact that Egypt got about 60 per cent of its grains from Ukraine did not make it a failed state.
Clarifying his comment via X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi said it was needless to compare Nigerian situation with that of their Egyptian counterparts.
Obi said: “After my comments on the embarrassing grain assistance which Nigeria received from a war-torn Ukraine, some government spinners in defence tried throwing up a comparison pointing at Egypt which also got grain from Ukraine.
“In my remarks I stated that such an offer, though aimed at ameliorating the impact of the food crisis in Nigeria, remains awkward to the nation, considering that we, as a nation with more fertile lands and a working population, now receive aid from a war-ravaged nation like Ukraine.
“Egypt was particularly mentioned, by the spinners, to have received the same grains from Ukraine long before Nigeria did (September last year).
“And that Egypt is still dependent on Ukraine for its wheat and much of its fertilizer needs. It is important to clarify that over the years, Egypt imports 60% of its grains, out of which about 22% is from Ukraine.
“The imported grain provides half the flour that goes into a subsidised bread programme that feeds some 72 million Egyptians daily. Egypt, therefore, just enjoys a business relationship with their grain supplier, Ukraine, whereas, in the case of Nigeria, it was an emergency donation to help us fight a hunger epidemic that has resulted from economic mismanagement.
“To illustrate further, on the Global Hunger Index, Egypt ranks 57th, while our dear nation ranks 109th, out of 125 countries measured.
“So, while Egypt has a hunger level considered moderate, Nigeria is in the league of 20 hungriest countries in the world, with a hunger level considered serious.
“Egypt, without facing severe hunger, and not in the list of hungriest nations, exported over 9 Billion dollars of agricultural products in 2023. May I also point out that our grains donor, Ukraine, still maintains a hunger level considered low, with a ranking of 44th on the global hunger index, 7th highest grain producer, exporting almost 23 Billion Dollars, despite years of war! The situation is actually painful because we have all it takes to even surpass Ukraine in grain production if we were a more serious and productive nation.
“The vast arable lands in the North, if put into productive use, will not only give us sufficient food for local consumption, but even the surplus for export.”
