An aide to Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, stated that hardship has made Nigerians settle for staple food meant for animals.
Shaibu, in a statement issued on Thursday, regretted that there are no efforts to stem the tide.
He recalled that in the past, garri and beans were considered food for the poor but even today, the poor cannot afford to buy beans which now costs N1,500 per mudu and with no prospects of a stop in the rising prices.
He also stated that SMA baby formula now costs N8,000 from N2,200, according to Nigerian Tribune.
He explained: “Just over a year ago, a 50kg bag of rice was N47,000, but today it is N77,000. Beans used to be N36,000, but now it is N42,000. Bread was N700 for a loaf, but now it sells for N1,200. A single egg now costs N150. Imagine how much a crate costs? Even the agbado corn that Tinubu used in campaigning is also expected to go up by over 25%, according to AFEX.
“The tragedy now is that a vast majority of Nigerians whose means can’t afford decent meals, unfortunately contend with staples meant for animals.”
He quoted a recent BBC investigative report which says that many people consume rejected rice gains by millers.
The report specifically says that those rejected grains are purchased by fish farmers to feed their fisheries.
He continued, “In a similar context, a random visit to the Garki Market in Abuja will behold a large number of people queuing for maize shafts which they now turn into solid food. Normally, these shafts are sold to livestock farmers, but now Nigerians resort to these forms of staple as human food.”
Shaibu referenced the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Lagos, position that the hospital recorded a 100% increase in the number of psychiatric patients admitted to the hospital.
“Just last month, a female banker committed suicide inside the banking hall, claiming that the economic hardship is unbearable. Indeed, as it is stated in Proverbs 29, verse 2: When the righteous rule, the people rejoice. But when the wicked rule, the people suffer. That is Nigeria’s current quagmire where life is brutish, short and nasty and kidnappers have taken over the land,” he added.
