Hunger: Nigerians now stealing food, beans, pots of soup to survive.

A member of the House of Representatives, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, has raised the alarm that if nothing was done to curtail the hardship Nigerians currently face, there was the possibility of a recurrence of kwashiorkor similar to that experienced during the Nigeria/Biafra civil war as a result of starvation. He also advised President Muhammadu Buhari to look for economic experts, irrespective of their political affiliations, to tackle the economic crisis facing the nation. Abonta, who represents Ukwa Federal Constituency of Abia State on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, in an interview in Abuja, expressed dismay with the level of hardship experienced by Nigerians. Starved girl Starved girl

He said: “Within the one year plus, we have witnessed starvation unknown to Nigeria. In the East it is as if it is the era of

Nigeria/Biafra civil war. There is no food, no importation and you can’t ban what you can’t get. “Of obvious fact, the rich cannot sleep again because the poor are awake and the poor cannot sleep because they are hungry. So for the rich to sleep, we must provide food for the poor. “There is acute starvation in Nigeria as evidenced by peoples cry and reaction, they are stealing food, beans to survive.

APC promised a lot of change, they promised heaven on earth, these were mere political rhetorics, they have denied some. “But I also think that APC has failed on their promises, all they need do is to apologise to the masses and tell them the way forward and the way forward is for us to get economic experts without political considerations, to see how we can manage our economy. “I am in sympathy with President Muhammadu Buhari, there is little he can do now, he may be doing his best in these areas but is his best enough for us, no? He is surrounded by persons who do not share his aspirations, who do not know the wherewithal and how to get it done. “One of the things we must do because of the misfortune in the oil sector, which is the main stay of the economy, is to find a way to depart from oil economy.

Agriculture we cannot afford to joke with, we must go back to pure and practical agriculture now. “The earlier we concentrate on real issues than fighting imaginary enemies, the better.

I will advise President Buhari to try and mediate peace with all contending groups on insurgency, militancy and others. He should try and have a fatherly peace like what the late President Umaru Yar’Adua did, that we may have the stability to farm and also improve the oil sector.

“We must be careful in banning things, we must set our priority right. Let the agric sector give us the road map, the blue print. The President should develop the political will for the feed yourself policy. If we have true fiscal federalism, governors will be able to enforce agriculture, local government chairmen should be able to enforce it.

“As I am speaking to you, most local governments do not have any farm at all, they also depend on allocation, but if this allocation is not forthcoming, they will fend for themselves. Therefore, in restructuring Nigeria, fiscal federalism is needed.

Above all, we need peace and stability to forge ahead.

“I want to advise Buhari to follow the course of peace, amount invested in getting peace could be a waste because no nation will develop in crisis. “He fought hard and begged God and laboured to be President, therefore he should be able to justify his aspirations to be President. Now, he is President and he needs the cooperation of every body and we are willing to give him that cooperation. “He should also give a lending hand in that cooperation, he should reciprocate in that cooperation. I give my full support to President Buhari, he should also seek ideas for nobody has the monopoly of knowledge. “Even if a good idea is coming from his political opponents, he should take it and also remain where he is, we are all working for one good Nigeria, no matter the party you are coming from.”

What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

To follow us on twitter click @iReporterng

To Like our facebook fan page click iReporter on Facebook
Join Us on BBM Channel Add Pin or click: C00224051
Report News as its UNFOLDS via: ireporterng@gmail.com