Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, has said the country’s decision to accept grains from war-torn Ukraine does not mean it is a weak or a failed state.
Peter Obi, former Anambra governor in the last election, had, in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), said Ukraine’s grain donation to Nigeria was disheartening.
Idris, reacting to Obi’s claim while speaking at the Leadership Annual Conference and Award 2023 on Tuesday in Abuja, disclosed that “Egypt gets about 60 per cent of its grains from Ukraine. The fact that Egypt gets about 60 per cent of its grains from Ukraine does not make it a failed state.
“The fact that we are having challenges at the moment does not make Nigeria a failed state.
“Therefore, accepting grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria or Egypt a failed country.
“It is a normal thing because countries exist to depend on one another.”
The Leadership Group, publishers of Leadership Newspapers, was the event organiser.
The minister said: “It is true that Nigeria is facing some challenges, and President Bola Tinubu is aware of this, and he has been making efforts to address the situation.
“Nigerians voted for Tinubu with the deeper understanding and conviction that he has the capacity to turn things around for the better, and that is what he is doing.
“Some of the decisions he has taken were to ensure that Nigeria finds its place in the comity of nations.
“The decisions include the removal of fuel subsidy and addressing the issue of foreign exchange and many others.
“In spite of the current challenges, the economic growth of Nigeria is on track and has continued to improve.”
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