Abdulaziz Yari, the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, stated that industrious citizens ought to be capable of purchasing food despite prevailing economic hardships and the soaring cost of living nationwide. Yari offered this perspective during an APC presidential rally in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, where he conceded that economic strain and hunger exist, while maintaining that food supplies remain accessible in local marketplaces.
Addressing party faithfuls and supporters in the South-South state, the former governor of Zamfara State challenged the audience to confirm if anyone had visited the markets with cash only to find basic food items completely out of stock. He posited that the continuous presence of agricultural produce in commercial centers implies that the fundamental challenge is financial rather than a total absence of food.
“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,” Yari stated during his address.
He probed further to determine whether residents faced barriers in procuring staple goods such as rice simply because merchants lacked the inventory.
“I don’t know, in Akwa Ibom, is there any person who took his money to the market and found out there’s no rice? You didn’t answer me. Is there anybody with money in his pocket who goes to the market to get foodstuffs and says that there’s no foodstuffs in the market?” he asked.
What did the former governor imply about food availability?
Yari argued that a true food crisis would be defined by empty market stalls where commodities cannot be found at all. By his assessment, as long as goods are physically present on shelves and in open stalls, individuals who exert effort to earn an income should be able to sustain themselves.
“If there’s no food in the market, that’s what we are calling hunger. But anyone who is not a lazy person, definitely he would have food on his table,” he added.
Yari’s controversial stance follows mounting public anxiety over inflation, escalating food prices, and the heavy financial pressure weighing heavily on households across Nigeria.