Buhari's popularity has sunk to critical levels - Jared Jeffrey
- Last month, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net) stated that the famine is threatening Nigeria’s northeast region
- The region has been wracked by a seven-year insurgency by extremist group Boko Haram
- Political analyst, Jared Jeffrey says President Muhammadu Buhari must act fast
Political analyst, Jared Jeffrey has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the famine threatening Nigeria’s northeast region due to activities of Boko Haram.
Writing an opinion piece published on cnbc.com today, January 3, Jeffrey said Buhari's defensiveness on the issue should be interpreted in light of the mounting criticism he is facing for multiple crises affecting the country.
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Last year, the United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Peter Lundberg warned that 2017 could see millions requiring international humanitarian assistance and 75,000 children were at risk of dying over the next few months.
Responding, President Muhammadu Buhari said the alarm calls by the UN was a “hype” in order to encourage donations.
“We are concerned about the blatant attempts to whip up a non-existent fear of mass starvation by some aid agencies, a type of hype that does not provide a solution to the situation on the ground, but more to do with calculations for operations financing locally and abroad,” The Guardian quoted Buhari saying.
Jeffrey says the famine now detracts from the successes the Nigerian forces, and those of their regional allies.
“Even more embarrassing for the president is the fact that in October the Senate reported that the Presidential Initiative on the North East, which Buhari established last year, has done little to improve conditions on the ground for internally displaced persons and has been marred by corruption,” he added
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The analyst warned that downplaying the seriousness of the widespread hunger in order to save face is a public relations disaster.
His words: “When the news media start reporting on more deaths, his defensiveness will be remembered as callousness.”
Meanwhile, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Nigerian minister of agriculture and rural development has reassured Nigerians that the federal government has put necessary measures in place to prevent hunger and famine in the country.
Source: Legit.ng
