A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jesutega Onokpasa, has criticized the Federal Government for its performance in food production, following tragic stampedes in Anambra State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during food distribution events that left over 30 people dead and many others injured.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Onokpasa, a vocal supporter of President Bola Tinubu, attributed the incidents to widespread food insecurity, blaming the government’s shortcomings in agricultural development.
“I think the real problem is that we (APC) have failed woefully in producing food for our citizens,” Onokpasa said. “When we were campaigning for this administration, people were calling us ‘Agbadorians’ because our President [Tinubu] was always talking about producing food. But unfortunately, we don’t seem to be producing food, and we just have to accept that’s our fault.”
He further argued that the government has not made sufficient efforts to bolster agriculture, which he described as an achievable solution to alleviate hunger in the country.
“The good thing about agriculture is that you can just plant a crop today and harvest in three months or six months or one year,” he said.
“We need to convince our president to concentrate on food production. Even if we cannot reduce the price of fuel, let our people have food to eat.”