The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has on Thursday, August 4, called on Nigerians not to blame President Muhammadu Buhari for the massive hunger that has bedeviled the land.
Post-Nigeria, gathered that the development is coming at a time when the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had also blamed former President, Goodluck Jonathan, for the total blackout being experienced in recent times.
According to the Minister of Information, Nigerians are suffering today, because past governments did not properly manage the country’s oil wealth.
The Minister made this known, when he spoke at the 2016 edition of the All Nigeria Editors Conference, in Port Harcourt, where he urged the media to trace the story of hardship to its beginning.
He said, “Nigeria has nothing to rely on to cushion the effects of the lost earnings.
“Many other oil producing countries and fellow OPEC members are faring better, because they saved for the rainy days.“Saudi Arabia, with about one fifth of Nigeria’s population, has in foreign reserves about 600 billion dollars (which is 23 times what Nigeria has in foreign reserves).“United Arab Emirates, with less than 10 million people, has 75 billion dollars in foreign reserves.
Qatar, with 2.4 million people, has 36 billion dollars in foreign reserves.
“Even Angola, with just 24 million people, has about 25 billion dollars in foreign reserves.“We are not saying we should continue to lament about missed opportunities, the massive corruption or profligacy of the past, but is it is important for Nigerians to know where and when the rain started beating them; that no provision was made for any umbrella to shield them from the elements, and that indeed genuine efforts are now being made to turn things around”, Mohammed said.
He however, admitted that there have been increasing criticisms of the government’s response to the economic crisis that has caused increase in prices, pay cuts, job losses and growing unemployment.
It could be recalled, that the popular Catholic Priest, Father Mbaka, who threw his weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari, during the 2015 Presidential election, had recently decried that the President had jettisoned the welfare of Nigerians on fighting corruption.
He said, “It is not easy everywhere. Hunger everywhere. As the President is fighting corruption, some of us are praying that he will equally fight hunger.“Hunger is in the atmosphere,” Mr. Mbaka said in a sermon to his congregation on July 23, 2016.Speaking further, he said, ”All this noise about EFCC arrest this and that, after one week that one is over.“People are dying of hunger. Dollar is growing every day and naira is dying every day.“Euro is rising every day and naira is collapsing every day.“Pounds is on hike every day on a mega level, and naira is dwindling on a hyper level.“The landlords are crying, tenants are lamenting. Sellers are crying. Buyers are lamenting. There is hunger on the street.“Many students are being rusticated from school, why? Because they can’t pay for school feels.“Proprietors are distressed. Many companies are winding up. The economy is hard,” Father Mbaka lamented.
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