Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), says the federal government is turning Nigerians to beggars with the latest fad of distributing food palliatives to cushion economic hardship.
Babalola spoke on Thursday when members of the Prestige Sisters League paid him a ‘Thank You’ visit on the ABUAD campus.
The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said the recent protest over hunger in the country was from a place of genuine concern.
He lamented the insecurity in the country, adding that people have abandoned their farms for fear of the unknown. “Those who are complaining about hunger are doing so sincerely. They are hungry. A hungry man can go to any length to show his anger.
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“We do not need anybody to tell us that there is hunger in the country. The protest was genuine and the government should listen to them. The duty of the government is the welfare of the people. The problem we have now is that people cannot move freely.
“They have abandoned the farms. People are being killed in their farms and everybody wants to stay where they are safe. It is because the government has failed in this regard that we have hunger.
“It is wrong for the government to be sharing garri, beans and rice as palliatives. They are turning the people into beggars. The government that is giving the people rice and beans is leading us to poverty.
“The government is discouraging people from working, whereas, the government must provide an enabling environment for people to work and feed themselves,” he said.
Babalola agreed with the Emeka Anyaoku-led Patriots group that Nigeria needs a new constitution.
He said there is no need for a constitutional conference, adding that parliament can bring back the 1963 constitution.
