Abdulaziz Yari, Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, has argued that Nigerians who are willing to work should be able to afford food despite the economic hardship and rising cost of living across the country.
Yari made the remark during the APC presidential campaign rally in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, where he argued that food is available in markets despite the widespread complaints about hunger.
The former Governor of Zamfara State questioned whether residents of Akwa Ibom have gone to markets with money only to discover that food items were unavailable.
“Just as I said, we have hunger. Let me ask a question here. Akwa Ibom people, from where I came, we have food in the market,” he said.
“I don’t know, in Akwa Ibom, is there any person who took his money to the market and found out there’s no rice? You didn’t answer me. Is there anybody with money in his pocket who goes to the market to get foodstuffs and says that there’s no foodstuffs in the market?
“If there’s no food in the market, that’s what we are calling hunger. But anyone who is not a lazy person, definitely he would have food on his table.”
His comments come amid growing concerns over the rising cost of food and the impact of economic hardship on Nigerian households.
Yari had earlier defended the Tinubu administration’s economic performance during an engagement in Ekiti on Thursday, urging opposition parties to explain how their proposed policies would differ from those of the current government.
He also pointed to what he described as a reduction in food prices while asking Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for another term.
“As we promised Nigerians, we are going to campaign with our numbers, with what we have done for Nigerians. Based on that, Nigerians, we requested them to give us a second chance,” he said.
Yari maintained that the APC would base its campaign on the administration’s achievements, challenging opposition parties to present alternative policies and convince Nigerians why they should be given the opportunity to govern.