5th March, 2024
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Federal Government has hit back at a former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying accepting grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria a failed State.
Obi had in series of tweets on Monday said it was a national disgrace for Nigeria to accept food from Ukraine, a war-torn country.
Ukraine had donated 25,000 tonnes of wheat as emergency food assistance to 1.3 million vulnerable in the north part of Nigeria.
Responding to Obi’s attack, the 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.
Speaking at the Leadership Annual Conference and Award 2023 on Tuesday in Abuja, Idris added that 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 said Nigerians voted for President Bola Tinubu with the deeper understanding and conviction that he had the capacity to turn things around for the better, saying “that is what he is doing.”
Idris explained that some of the decisions he had taken were to ensure that Nigeria found its place in the comity of nations.
He said the decisions included removal of fuel subsidy and addressing the issue of foreign exchange and many others, adding that in spite of the current challenges, the economic growth of Nigeria is on track and has continued to improve.