SaharaReporters on Friday reported that 25,000 metric tonnes of wheat were provided by the government of war-torn Ukraine to support the World Food Programme (WFP) in providing emergency food assistance to 1.3 million crisis-affected people in North-East Nigeria.
Nigerian Government on Tuesday stated that the fact that Nigeria accepted grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria a weak or failed state.
SaharaReporters on Friday reported that 25,000 metric tonnes of wheat were provided by the government of war-torn Ukraine to support the World Food Programme (WFP) in providing emergency food assistance to 1.3 million crisis-affected people in North-East Nigeria.
The donation was part of the humanitarian “Grain from Ukraine” initiative launched by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The WFP Representative and Country Director in Nigeria, David Stevenson, while receiving the grains on Thursday in Abuja, said the shipment was made possible with collaborative efforts from Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, which provided the costs of transporting the wheat from Ukraine to Nigeria.
The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, had lambasted the Nigerian government over the donation by war-torn Ukraine.
Obi said that such a gesture from a country that rather needs humanitarian assistance as a result of the effect of the ongoing war with Russia, is disheartening and a national disgrace to Nigeria which is officially at peace.
While applauding Ukraine for the kind gesture, Obi said that a war-torn country donating food to Nigeria underscores vigorously the importance of sound political leadership as the first concrete requirement for any nation desiring to develop and enhance the standard of living of its citizenry, stressing that the national disgrace stems from years of leadership failure in Nigeria.
Obi in a series of posts on his X handle said, “Let me begin by sincerely appreciating the war-torn nation of Ukraine for their generous donation of tons of grains to Nigeria thereby aiding our current fight against nationwide hunger.
“As laudable as Ukraine's kind gesture is, it speaks volumes for us as a people endowed with all needed human and natural resources, that a country officially prosecuting a brutal war of national survival with its powerful neighbor, Russia, is generous and kind enough with their food supplies to help us who are officially at peace.
“For the people of Ukraine, this act of human solidarity testifies to a rare generosity of spirit which should earn them greater global solidarity. It demonstrates our shared humanity.
“However, a situation like this underscores vigorously the importance of sound political leadership as the first concrete requirement for any nation desiring to develop and enhance the standard of living of its citizenry.
“It is disheartening that our once economically confident nation, blessed with vast arable land and abundant natural resources, now relies on a war-torn Ukraine for food assistance.
“This national disgrace stems from years of leadership failure, necessitating urgent reflection and a reordering of our national priorities and resource management and allocation.”
However, Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, at the Leadership Annual Conference and Award 2023 on Tuesday in Abuja, said the fact that Nigeria accepted grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria a weak or failed state.
He admitted that Nigeria was facing some challenges following the removal of fuel subsidy by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He described the policy as a bold step and urged Nigerians to support the president, saying the country would soon begin to reap the benefits of the policies of the government.
The minister noted that since Tinubu became the President, Nigeria had attracted over $30 billion dollars in foreign investments into the country.
He 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.”
He commended the President for his policies, saying that despite the current challenges in Nigeria, its economic growth is “on track and has continued to improve”.