Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and founder of the Afe Babalola University, says President Bola Tinubu’s administration is plunging Nigeria into poverty and turning citizens into beggars with its palliatives initiative.

During his visit to Prestige Sisters League over the weekend, Mr Babalola expressed concern over hunger in the country, condemning Mr Tinubu’s approach to addressing the crisis.

“It is wrong for the government to be sharing garri, beans and rice as palliatives. They are turning the people into beggars. The government that is giving the people rice and beans is leading us to poverty,” Mr Babalola said.

He added, “The government is discouraging people from working, whereas the government must provide an enabling environment for people to work and feed themselves.”

The legal expert attributed the hunger crisis in Nigeria to the government’s failure to ensure safety, barring citizens from engaging in agricultural activities.

Mr Babalola said, “The duty of the government is the welfare of the people. The problem we have now is that people cannot move freely. They have abandoned the farms. People are being killed on their farms, and everybody wants to stay where they are safe. It is because the government has failed in this regard that we have hunger.”

In August, protests erupted across Nigeria, lasting ten days, as citizens voiced their discontent over economic hardship worsened by soaring food prices under Mr Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking on the nationwide demonstration, the legal luminary said, “The protest was genuine, and the government should listen to them (demonstrators).”

Mr Babalola’s critique mirrors the Financial Times editorial of July, which dismissed Mr Tinubu’s policies as “disjointed” and detrimental, driving millions into poverty.