Nasarawa Crisis: Ex-federal director calls for food importation

From Gambo Ahmed, Lafia

Viewing the possibility of famine in some parts of Nasarawa state, due to incessant crises, a retired director with the federal Ministry of science and technology, Mr. Haruna Malam Yakubu, has appealed for the importation of food from other states that are not experiencing crisis for storage against any eventuality.

Mr. Yakubu stated this while briefing journalists yesterday in Lafia, the state capital, saying that the crises in the state is politically motivated; but was quick to add that “what we must look at is what happened to the displaced people and what happened to the empty farm lands, hence we expect that there could be famine in some parts of the state.”

According to him: “So, I expect the present government to come up with granaries, whereby they will now import food from parts of the state where they don’t have such problems and store them for the rainy day.”

His words: “The state government should actually involve traditional rulers much more than they are doing now, because they are the people that see everything that is happening day in day out; and can proffer permanently solution to the crises phenomenon.”

The retired federal director of human resource management department, who is vying for the Akwanga-North constituency in the state House of Assembly on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said his people called on him to come and salvage them because all the young men that have represented them were not able to satisfy the populace in terms of providing amenities for them.

According to him “Moreover, when I was about to retire they urged me to come in. The reason is that there is a local written arrangement that every aspirant who goes to the house should stay for a maximum of eight years and there are two wards that have been dominating this arrangement hence my people believe that this time it is our turn. Therefore, I am going there with my experience of 32 years in public service.”