By Ukpono Ukpong
The Federal Government has justified its decision to accept grains donation from Ukraine, saying accepting the grains from a war-ravaged country does not in any way portray Nigeria as a failed state.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the clarification on Tuesday in Abuja. Idris spoke at the Leadership Annual Conference and Award 2023.
It would be recalled that Ukraine had, last week, donated 25,000 tonnes of wheat as emergency food assistance to about 1.3 million vulnerable and crisis-affected persons in Northeast Nigeria.
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The gesture, which was meant to assist Nigeria in addressing rising inflation and high cost of food items, has continued to attract criticism from opposition figures in the country.
Notable among the critics was the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, Mr Peter Obi who described the development as “embarrassing.”
Obi had slammed the federal government for relying on a war torn country for food assistance, saying it was “a national disgrace.”
The former Anambra State governor had wondered how Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia for 24 months could still donate food to Nigeria that is not at war with any country.
But the Information minister waved the criticism, insisting that it was a normal thing for countries to depend on one another for support in times of crisis.
Idris said, “Egypt gets about 60 per cent of its grains from Ukraine. The fact that Egypt gets about 60 per cent of its grains from Ukraine does not make it a failed state.
“The fact that we are having challenges at the moment does not make Nigeria a failed state.
“Therefore, accepting grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria or Egypt failed countries. It is a normal thing, because countries exist to depend on one another.”
The minister assured that President Bola Tinubu was working hard towards addressing the current food crisis and other challenges faced by the country.
“Nigerians voted for Tinubu with the deeper understanding and conviction that he has the capacity to turn things around for the better; and that is what he is doing.
“Some of the decisions he has taken were to ensure that Nigeria finds its place in the comity of nations.
“The decisions include removal of fuel subsidy and addressing the issue of foreign exchange and many others.
“In spite of the current challenges, the economic growth of Nigeria is on track and has continued to improve,” the minister said.
He insisted that fuel subsidy removal was a step in the right direction, saying that Nigerians would soon begin to see the benefits of the policy.
Urging Nigerians to continue to support the administration, Idris said
President Tinubu had demonstrated capacity.
According to him, the administration has been able to attract more than $30 billion in foreign investment into in its nine months of existence.
The minister said, “He has not stopped at that. Just last week, President Tinubu went to Qatar to attract more businesses and investments into Nigeria.
“We are optimistic that soon, what we are passing through will be a thing of the past and Nigeria will be better.”
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