The Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi has said that the rate at which human lives are valued in Nigeria today is heartbreaking.
Mr. Obi disclosed that losing lives in the ‘contest’ for food has now become a norm in Nigeria.
This comes following the demise of people in Nasarawa and Bauchi States in the last couple of days from a stampede in struggle for food made available by the governments.
“It is saddening how cheap life has become in this country today. It is now a daily occurrence to read reports of our fellow Nigerians who lose their lives while struggling for basic food to eat.
“Just 3 days ago, I lamented the disheartening occurrence involving some of our children at Nasarawa State University who lost their lives in a stampede while hustling for government provided food.
“Yesterday, another four people have also reportedly lost their lives in a stampede during an almsgiving zakat exercise for the poor in Bauchi State. These regular occurrences of stampede and struggle for food only reflect the depth of hunger and starvation in the country,” he stated on X, formerly Twitter on Monday.
Obi emphasized that the ‘scuffle’ for food amongst Nigerians depict the level of desperation – and with food prices soaring higher everyday, Nigeria will continue to wallow in unproductivity.
He stressed that Nigerians now live their lives without knowing where the next meal will come from.
The former Anambra State Governor added: “What is more concerning is the report of UNICEF projecting that over 30 million Nigerians will face acute hunger during the lean months, between June and August.
“We now have a situation where our people are losing their lives to hunger before the projected timeline. The physical hunt and struggle for scarce food has become a life threatening adventure in itself.”
The politician also noted that Nigeria has never been this bad – and unless very urgent actions are taken, the situation may get worse.
He appealed to the government to release every resource, human and material needed to end insecurity in the country, thereby enabling farmers to return to their respective farms.
Obi further explained that government’s support will ensure that the vast arable lands in the North are fully explored to feed the citizens and also export to the rest of the world.
He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and asked God to grant them eternal rest.
