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Nigeria’s hunger crisis demands immediate attention, warns Chief Edwin Clark, a respected South-South leader and former Federal Commissioner for Information.
He’s urging President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on food security without delay, as Nigerians struggle to find their next meal amidst growing frustration.
At a meeting with HOSTCOM’s leadership, led by High Chief Benjamin Tamaranebi, at his Asokoro residence, Chief Edwin Clark sounded the alarm on Nigeria’s food emergency. With heartfelt concern, Clark shared his conviction that the nation’s hunger crisis demands immediate attention from the highest authorities.
Elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark threw his weight behind the recent protests rocking Nigeria, affirming that citizens have every right to demand change. He pointedly reminded President Bola Tinubu of his own protest legacy against former President Goodluck Jonathan’s subsidy removal, highlighting the need for consistency in respecting democratic expression.
As PANDEF leader, Clark absolved Tinubu of sole responsibility for the subsidy removal but stressed that the government must now prioritize tangible poverty alleviation strategies to cushion the blow of the policy shift.
“Oil subsidy is a big problem in Nigeria. Oil subsidy is not confined to Nigeria alone, but everything in Nigeria does not work because of poor management and poor leadership. True, we all realize later that the oil subsidy was a scam.
The removal of oil subsidies by the Jonathan administration in January 2012 remains a contentious chapter in Nigeria’s economic history, sparking intense debate, protests, and widespread dissatisfaction among the citizenry.
Read also: 2023: ‘You Are A Betrayer’ – Orji Kalu Replies Edwin Clark
Chief Edwin Clark highlighted the government’s conflicting narratives on fuel subsidies, recalling that in 2020 and 2021, President Buhari and his ministers claimed subsidies had been eliminated, whereas during the 2023 campaign, parties promised to remove them. Furthermore, Clark lamented the ineffective implementation of the PIA, enacted two years ago, blaming its failure on rushed passage and poor leadership.
Earlier in his remarks, HOSTCOM President, High Chief Benjamin Tamaranebi who called on the federal government to end the incessant fuel scarcity in the Country, also lampooned the International Oil Companies ( IOCs) for allegedly frustrating the Dangote Refinery from accessing crude oil for local refining and production.
He said: “It is sad to state here that a country like Nigeria, an oil producing Nation, the 2nd largest oil producer in Africa, that has four Refineries is still suffering from endless fuel scarcity and bent on importation of refined Petroleum Products to her Country for over 20 years.
“We are aware that the current fuel scarcity in some parts of the country is caused by marketers’ refusal to import petrol into the country due to the huge debt issue. It is alleged that NNPCL owes marketers huge sums of money and as such, they can no longer continue to import when NNPCL is owing them.
