The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, said only lazy Nigerians are hungry, saying those who are not lazy should have food on their tables.
He argued that the availability of food in markets means hardworking people should be able to feed themselves.
Yari made the remark on Friday during the APC rally in support of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The former Zamfara State governor acknowledged the existence of hunger in the country but questioned whether residents had gone to markets with money and been unable to find food to buy.
“Just as I said, we have hunger. Let me ask a question here. Akwa Ibom people, from where I came from, we have food in the market.
“I don’t know, in Akwa Ibom, are there any person who took his money to the market and found out there is no rice? Are there anybody with his money in his pocket, go to the market to get foodstuff and say that there is no foodstuff in the market,” he stated.
Yari argued that the availability of food in markets meant that Nigerians who had money could afford to feed themselves.
“If there is no food in the market, that is what we are calling hunger. But anyone who is not a lazy person, definitely he will have food on his table,” he said.
His comments come amid public concerns over the rising cost of food and the broader economic hardship facing Nigerians, with the cost of living remaining a major issue in the country’s political discourse ahead of the 2027 general election.
The remarks also come amid a political debate over responsibility for the economic hardship in the country.
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