Maduabuchi Idam, an activist attorney, claimed on Tuesday that Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s statement that hunger has ended in Nigeria is callous.
Since there is no longer famine, Akpabio had advised Nigerians living overseas to return home.
Idam, however, claimed that the Senate President’s remark made fun of Nigerians who are facing poverty.
“His comment that hunger was over, and that Nigerians abroad should return home, is yet another unguarded and insensitive mockery of the majority of citizens who are grappling, pensively, with the harsh realities of survival in the country,” Idam said in a statement.
“The Senate President should stop reminding Nigerians of the obvious, which is that he is completely out of touch with the realities of daily life in this nation.”
“We are aware that his lifestyle is very different from that of the typical Nigerian, but that shouldn’t be a point of contention.
In addition to being inflammatory, such careless remarks dehumanize and humiliate the many Nigerians who are currently experiencing financial difficulty, which is a direct result of ineffective economic management.
“Those with full stomachs shouldn’t think they are more intelligent than those who are hungry.”
