Ibim Semenitari, a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to address the pressing issue of food inflation, highlighting the dire situation where many Nigerians can no longer afford even basic staples like garri.
Speaking on Channels Television’s socio-political program “Inside Sources with Laolu Akande” on Sunday, Semenitari emphasized the need for food security, stating, “If people can even eat, that’s the first thing.” She stressed that Nigeria requires a recalibration, urging someone in authority to take immediate action to address the country’s downward spiral.
Semenitari, also a former Commissioner for Information in Rivers State, called on President Tinubu to reflect on the legacy he wants to leave for Nigerians, implying that his administration’s response to the food inflation crisis will be a defining aspect of his presidency.
She said the President should be introspective about the kind of legacy he wants to leave for Nigerians.
“The President should think in terms of legacy: ‘When I’m done, what would I be remembered by?’ And the truth is that his aides can’t determine that because legacy is a personal thing. It is not something that sycophants can give you,” she said.
“Nigerians are literally unable to eat. I’m not talking about three-square meals. We are not even talking about three-round meals; we are talking about one meal a day because the cost of garri which is a staple has gone up.
“People are paying N22,000 for a basin of garri; they used to buy it at N6,000. Garri was something that if you didn’t have money for soup, you would give your children garri, and they would drink it without sugar. Now, they can’t.”
The ex-commissioner said Tinubu should demonstrate leadership and not spend the country’s scarce resources on a new private jet during the time of austerity.
Since Thursday when youths took to the streets for the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests, they have highlighted hunger as one of the motivations for their demonstrations.
Nigeria is battling one of its worst economic crises in recent times, with rising living and energy costs, sparked by the twin policies of the government’s removal of petrol subsidy and unification of the foreign exchange windows in May 2023.
The country’s inflation reached an all-time high in June, hitting 34.19 %, according to the latest data from the National Bureau of State Statistics (NBS).
Food inflation also rose in June 2024 to 40.87% year-on-year compared to 40.66% recorded in May 2024, 15.62% higher than the 25.25% recorded in June 2023.
The Tinubu administration alongside governors in the 36 states has since rolled out some palliative measures but Nigerians continue to be lamentably hurt by the severe impact of inflation as the prices of food commodities and basic products multiply uncontrollably.
