“In a desperate attempt to draw
attention to her misfortune, Esther Odozi, 21, bared her breasts on Monday on
the premises of Ikeja Magistrate’s Court as she protested against hunger that
was “killing her and the five children” she left back home in Agbor Owanta,
Delta State. Odozi laid half-naked on a road in the
court shouting, “Hunger, hunger. Odozi shunned passersby who shouted at her to cover
herself as she rolled on the ground. She revealed wounds on her left leg and
the right side of her hips; she said she was hit by a car. She refused a N500
given to her by a passerby, saying, “I don’t want your money. I want Fashola to
give me N200, 000.”
The story above is an excerpt from the full story
published in Punch Newspaper of Tuesday May 21, 2013. While listening to a
radio programme on Monday May 20, 2013 where people called in to express their
views on the incident, it appeared that most people supported the woman’s
action and blamed the government for the woman’s predicament. Some people
however felt that the story was not complete, considering that there could be
other dimensions to it as a scam. Some also wondered how feasible it was for
the lady of 21 to have five children for a man who had retired from Police
force and died. Was she forced to marry such a man? Did should get education?
In all these, I chose to further consider the value gap
in the approach the woman chose to express her problems. I wondered about what
extent people should go in the name of hunger. I also wondered about how much
attention the government is paying to solving the problem of hunger in the
country.
Poverty and Hunger eradication is the focus of Millennium
Development Goals one which Nigeria is a signatory to. Efforts towards
achieving this goal from the government perspective have been seen in various
programmes. Yet experiences and observations have shown that Hunger and
corruption are the country’s major problems. Though the nation’s economy is
said to be growing, this growth appears not to be reflecting on the living
condition of the people.
Recently the government increased tariff on importation
of rice, resulting in increase in cost of imported rice. One wonders if this
policy actually considers the quantity of rice being produced locally and its
capacity to feed the nation. Also with increased job loss in banking sector in
the last three years and considering that the sector had been a major employer
of labour prior to that time, the capacity of many families to meet basic needs
has been reduced because of low or no earnings.
If the government really pays attention to the well being
of its people shouldn’t government at all levels really pay attention to
reducing hunger as against pampering corruption? If the government really wants
to fight corruption, shouldn’t government at all levels fight hunger?
Without justifying corruption because of hunger, it is
important to state that solving the problem of hunger is a big step to solving
the problem of corruption. When they say that civil servants earn a minimum
wage of N18, 000, have you ever thought about how such families, whose parents
may be of lower cadre feed, pay hospital bills, train children in school, put
on suitable clothes and live in decent homes? Little wonder then the civil service
is considered the most corrupt system in the country.
A society is a reflection of what its people value. The
possible reason there is much hunger in our society may be because the society
is more concerned with deceiving its people rather than meeting the needs of
its people.
Inasmuch as we task the government on the need to solve
the hunger problem, should the people throw caution to the wind simply because
they are hungry? Where should we draw the line in the name of showing how
hungry we are?
Talks
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