Aare Afe Babalola, the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has criticised the Federal Government’s distribution of palliatives, accusing it of reducing Nigerians to beggars and pushing the nation deeper into poverty.
Babalola expressed his concerns during a visit from the Prestige Sisters League to the ABUAD campus.
Speaking on the recent nationwide protests, he acknowledged that those protesting against hunger are justified in their grievances.
“Those who are complaining about hunger are doing so sincerely. They are hungry. A hungry man can go to any length to show his anger. We do not need anybody to tell us about hunger in the country. The protest was genuine and the government should listen to them,” he said.
He argued that the government’s failure to ensure the safety and welfare of its citizens has led to widespread hunger.
“The duty of government is the welfare of the people. The problem we have now is that people cannot move freely. They have abandoned the farms. People are being killed in their farms and everybody wants to stay where they are safe. It is because the government has failed in this regard that we have hunger,” Babalola explained.
Condemning the practice of distributing food items like garri, beans, and rice as palliatives, Babalola warned that it was only worsening the situation.
“It is wrong for the government to be sharing garri, beans and rice as palliatives. They are turning the people into beggars. The government that is giving the people rice and beans is leading us to poverty. The government is discouraging people from working, whereas, the government must provide the people enabling environment for people to work and feed themselves,” he argued.
Babalola also expressed his support for the Patriots’ call for a new constitution, though he disagreed with the idea of convening a constitutional conference. Instead, he advocated for reinstating the 1963 constitution through the parliament.
“I read the publication of the Patriots visiting President Tinubu and I am in full agreement with them. We need a new constitution. But I do not agree that we should go through any constitutional conference,” Babalola said.
“The 1963 constitution was the one made by all of us. By the same token, the parliament should bring back the 1963 and reenact it,” he added.
