Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, a former governor of Sokoto State and member of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, said on Sunday that the banditry in the North-West and North-East is a major threat to food security in Nigeria.
He said that instead of talking about who should be in the cabinet, subsidies, and the economy, the government of President Bola Tinubu should focus on food security.
The elder statesman also warned that if strict steps were not taken to stop instability, the North would fall behind in education over the next 50 years.
Bafarawa said these things in an interview with The Punch. He said numerous primary and secondary schools in Northern Nigeria have been closed because of the activities of bandits. He said, “This is a serious disaster.”
Our reporter said that the government’s decision to end the gasoline subsidy led to a rise in the price of food and other goods, but in recent weeks, people have mostly talked about the President’s choice of ministers.
But Bafarawa said that the government should set its objectives properly.
He said, “Instead of talking about the cabinet, subsidies, and the economy, the government should think about food security, because at the rate we are going, we will definitely have problems in Nigeria, especially in the North-West, in three months.”
“The bandits have stopped farms from growing their crops. This is a very dangerous situation, not just because robbers are killing people but also because there won’t be enough food in the next few months, particularly in the north-west and north-east. So, we want the government to wake up and take action about the situation.
“Also, the way education is going, in the next 50 years we will be very far behind because most of the basic schools in the North have been shut down because of bandits. There are no elementary or secondary schools, and this is a very bad thing. So, we can’t just sit back and watch; something needs to be done right away before things get worse.
“The government should do something about security, especially food insecurity, because it’s a major issue. Whatever the government decides to do, the issue of food security should be the top concern.”
Teejanyy (
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