On Thursday, Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, criticized the Nigerian federal government for distributing trucks of rice to state governments.
In a statement by his media aide, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele argued that this move would lead to increased corruption and hardship, as the rice would not reach those truly in need. He accused the governors of prioritizing their party members over the needy.
Ayodele remarked, "The rice will not get to those who are really suffering. The governors will share it with their party members." He further claimed that President Tinubu's administration is not receptive to constructive advice.
"There is no way this will get to the needy, those who are suffering," Ayodele asserted. "The Tinubu government isn't ready to listen to advice. They are not doing what is feasible. Nigerians are hungry and angry; everyone is affected. The president must be careful."
He continued, "Sending trucks of rice to governors who don't care about the needs of the people and don't share in their pains is tantamount to arbitrary corruption. They will give it to their party members, loyalists, and even hoard it."
"Why is this government not listening? The more you bring such, the more the hardship. The trucks of rice will only increase hardship and poverty; that's not the solution."
Primate Ayodele also warned that Tinubu's decisions could harm Nigeria's economy and advised the president to heed advice that could benefit the country.
As an alternative, Ayodele suggested that the trucks of rice should be distributed to markets nationwide and sold at lower prices to the people. "This is simple mathematics, like God revealed to Pharaoh about famine, God has revealed to prophets the situation in Nigeria. We have said this in 2022 about what Nigeria will experience; it is better the government listens before it kills the economy," he stated.
"The government should have taken the trucks to markets across the country and sold them at a very subsidized rate to the needy. The impact would be felt more than giving it to state governors," he added.
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