Legal luminary and founder of Afe Babalola University, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has argued that the distribution of food palliatives by President Bola Tinubu’s government is turning Nigerians into beggars.
To cushion the resultant hardship of his government’s reforms, President Tinubu has rolled out several palliative packages to vulnerable Nigerians, including the distribution of 20 trucks of rice to each of the 36 states in the country.
The Federal Government has also resumed the disbursement of cash to economically deprived Nigerians following an initial pause of the programme to improve transparency in its delivery.
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However, Babalola said these interventions are further impoverishing the citizens and urged the government to focus on fixing the basic challenges of security and job creation.
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Speaking during the visit from the Prestige Sisters League, the legal luminary expressed concern over the worsening hunger and insecurity in the country, noting that many farmers have abandoned their farms out of fear.
He stressed the primary duty of the government is to ensure the welfare of the citizens and called for the revival of the 1963 constitution to address the nation’s challenges.
“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.
“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.
The veteran lawyer aligned himself with the Emeka Anyaoku-led Patriots group which is pushing for the scrapping of the 1999 Constitution for a new people constitution through a national conference.
He, however, said there was no need for a constitutional conference, as the National Assembly could simply reenact and bring back the 1963 constitution.
“I read the publication of the Patriots visiting President Tinubu and I am in full agreement with them. We need a new Constitution. But I do not agree that we should go through any constitutional conference.
“Recently, you are aware that President Bola Tinubu asked us to go back to the old National Anthem; there was no conference for it before it was passed by the National Assembly and assented by the President.
“The 1963 Constitution was the one made by all of us. By the same token, the parliament should bring back the 1963 (constitution) and reenact it,” Babalola added.
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