Politicians who lost 2023 election behind hunger, rising cost of living – Shettima

The widespread hunger, cost of living crisis and the parlous state of the nation in general are caused by politicians who were not able to gain power in the last general election, the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has said

The number two man accused politicians who lost in the 2023 general election of plotting to plunge Nigeria into anarchy.

Shettima spoke on Tuesday at a conference on Public Wealth Management in Abuja.

He claimed 45 trucks smuggling food out of the country were intercepted, adding that desperate politicians are sabotaging the country by smuggling food out to other countries to spur food price increment.

“Just three nights ago, 45 trucks of maize were caught being transported to neighbouring countries,” Mr Shettima claimed. “Just in that Ilela axis, there are 32 illegal smuggling routes.”

He further claimed that due to the interception, the price of maize fell.

“And the moment those foodstuffs were intercepted, the price of maize came down by N10,000. It came down from N60,000 to N50,000. So, there are forces that are hell-bent on undermining our nation, but this is the time for us to coalesce into a singular entity,” Mr Shettima explained.

The vice-president stated that some political actors are hell-bent on causing havoc and upheaval in the country over the outcome of last election.

“Forces are hell-bent on plunging this country into a state of anarchy. Those who could not get to power through the ballot box, instead for them to wait till 2027, are so desperate,” Mr Shettima stressed.

He added, “We have to make this country work. We have to move beyond politics. We are now in the face of governance. Sadly, some of our countrymen are still in the political mode.

“They are the practitioners of violence, advocating that Nigeria should go the Lebanon way. But Nigeria is greater than any one of us here. Nigeria will weather the storm.”

Shettima did not mention the names of the politicians he accused of further compounding the country economic woes and undermining President Bola Tinubu’s government.

However, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, top contenders in the general election, have been unrelenting in their criticism Tinubu’s handling of the economy.

Though increment in prices of food has been part and parcel of Nigeria socio-economic fabric but the rise of food prices under the current administration is unprecedented, his sudden fuel subsidy removal and floating of the naira have seen petrol price jump from N145 to N630, shooting food prices up as the naira continue its freefall against the dollar, trading for N1,825 against a dollar on Tuesday.

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