The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has urged Nigerians not to expect President Bola Tinubu to resolve the country’s challenges within the first nine months of his administration.
Speaking at his Uburu country home in Ebonyi State, Umahi attributed the current hunger crisis to longstanding issues, particularly insecurity resulting from farmers-herders clashes.
Umahi, who previously chaired the National Economic Council (NEC) committee on farmers-herders clashes, emphasized that the hunger problem is not a recent development but a cumulative effect of past administrations, including the tenures of former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu.
He highlighted the complexity of the farmers-herders crisis, stating that it required sustained efforts to find lasting solutions.
Umahi cautioned against expecting immediate results within the initial months of Tinubu’s presidency.
His words: “The present hunger that everybody is talking about didn’t start today. It’s a build-up to a number of factors. Before the past administration and present administration, we have been having a build-up of insecurity. We had farmers/herders clashes over a number of years for a long period of time.
“At a time, I was the chairman of NEC committee on resolving farmers/herders clashes. So, I went through a number of states especially the Northern States settling the farmers/herders clashes and it yielded a number of fruits.
“And so, you expect the administration of President Tinubu to fix all those things within nine months, it’s not possible. So, it’s a cumulative effect of the past like I have mentioned.”
