Food Crisis: Households Now Using Cucumber to Make Stew, Says Ameh

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Former National Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Chief Peter Ameh has said that inflation and food crisis have forced families to make stew with cucumbers and carrots because basic vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and onions are too expensive in the market.

He, therefore, urged the federal government to roll out urgent measures that would arrest the hardship and surging food prices to end the economic turmoil in the country.

Ameh said that the federal government should ensure that all the policies that plunged the Nigerian people into deeper poverty and hardship in the last one year be thoroughly reviewed to bring succor to the people.

He also said that all those detained in connection with the ongoing protest should be released with immediate effect if the government is desirous of a quick end to the nationwide unrest.

Ameh, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on the fall out of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, lamented that many Nigerians have been plunged into deeper poverty and hardship in recent times.

According to him, “Subsistent living has vanished leaving many families in distress. Parents struggle to put food on the table, and some are forced to make stew with cucumbers because basic vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and onions are too expensive in the market.

“Farmers live in fear of bandits and kidnappers, preventing them from cultivating their lands, which contributes to the food scarcity we face presently.

“The economic turmoil has led to unpaid school fees, and as of 2024, UNICEF has declared Nigeria as having the world’s highest number of out-of-school children. This is an urgent situation that demands immediate attention.”

Ameh, who is also the National Secretary of the Conference of United Political Parties (CUPP), further advised the government to avoid the use of state forces to suppress the rights of citizens.

He said Sections 39 and 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, along with Articles 19 and 20 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, guarantee citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Ameh, who observed a one-minute silence for those killed during the peaceful protest, regretted the loss of lives as a result of the protest.

“According to the constitution, no one should be held without being charged to court for more than 48 hours.

“Yet, individuals like Alhaji Khalid Aminu remain in detention without charges, languishing in DSS custody in Kaduna. This is unacceptable! Nigeria may be a lawless place, but our fundamental human rights will not be taken away from us.

“We have witnessed tragic events, such as the killing of Abbas Kabiru by the Nigerian Police in Kaduna and the death of 16-year-old Ismail Mohammed at the hands of the Nigerian Army.

“These are only a few examples of the violence that peaceful protesters have endured, with Amnesty International alleging that over 22 peaceful protesters were brutally killed by the security agencies,” he said.