” Am happier for this role reversal occasioned by the launching of the ‘ Igbe ayo ‘ scheme by the Governor of Ondo State Dr. Olusegun Mimiko today at Ikare Akoko.
The scheme is a palliative measure, initiated by the Women Affairs Ministry and powered by the ‘Kaadi Igbe ayo’ programme of the administration to cushion the effect of the harsh economic policies of PMB/APC administration which had brought untold hardship, hunger and starvation to the Citizenry of this Country. The scheme targeted, thousands of old, poor and vulnerable women across the 18 LG by packaging food items Rice, Gari and other edibles in a sizable packs.
At the posting of the launching, of the scheme on social media today, I saw hypocrisy at its highest ebb, which informed the title of this post.
The only achievement of the PMB/APC administration so far, it’s in transforming the whole Country into an enlarged ‘IDP Camp’ of sort, while the regular IDP camp created by his predecessor in office as a safe haven for those displaced by terrorism had degenerated into ‘Death camp’ reminiscent of a war torn Country. Where hunger, diseases and malnutrition kill in hundreds on daily basis. Pages of our Newspapers were always awashed with the news of our Children, women and olds, dying and buried in hundreds in mass graves on daily basis. With the hitherto highly responsive NEMA, looking helplessly due to paucity of funding. No thanks to the Dangotes of this world, Red Cross, NGOs and other International Donor Agencies who put in some efforts to help. While our Government remained insensitive to this National disaster but busying himself chasing Thieves, in a country where everybody is a Thief.
This is the same country, where PMB/APC was hailed for promising as part of his election campaign to provide ‘Free School Lunch’ to School children, despite that there is no imminent famine or draught in our land and with no overwhelming evidence of our children going to school on empty stomachs. I concluded within me that the Free lunch programme was a farce ,the moment the FG chose to launch it at the Presidential Villa in Abuja by the VP while his Boss was on his Eardrum Medical tourism trip to the UK. A serious administration that meant well, would have chosen a rural community with good number of Primary Schools to Pilot the programme.
Now that there is Hunger, Starvation and Malnutrition in the land occasioned by this same PMP/APC harsh economic policies, where the only staple food is now the seasonal Maize. Yam, Garri, Rice, Bread, Elubo, Semo, Plantain, Palm & Groundnut oil and other edibles had gone beyond the reach of a common man. June inflation rate in today’s news is put at all high 16.5%, the highest in the last 11 years. Petrol, Kerosene &Diesel at 145, 250 and 200/ litre respectively coupled with the deliberate devaluation of the Naira with their resultant effect on the masses.
Now that the Caring heart Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, with the milk of human kindness flowing in him decided intervene firstly, on the most vulnerable among the social strata in the State, on behalf of the good people of the State, to ameliorate the suffering, the hitherto HAILERS begins to WAIL. Continue to Wail, the popularity and acceptance of the scheme will be gauged by the responsiveness of our people to it across the State. Thanks to our amiable Governor for this right step in the right direction.
Finally, for the new born WAILERS, if you can’t constructively criticise your HERO, PMB for fear of persecution, they should at least in a subtle manner let him know that – Our children does not cry of hunger before he promised to give them free lunch, but now that they are dying of hunger, diseases and malnutrition, he should please for God’s sake and that of humanity, see to their plight and rescue the situation, if not from the Free lunch budget, but from the widely acclaimed recovered stolen fund. There’s hunger in the Land.
Nigeria we hail thee!”
By Afolabi Akinsiku
