Buhari media group faults WFP report about possible hunger in Nigeria

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The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has faulted the claims by the World Food Programme (WFP) that Nigeria risks sliding into a hunger crisis.

BMO insisted that the claim the United Nations (UN) agency was presumptuous.

The agency had said Nigeria, alongside Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Haiti, Central Sahel (Mali, Burkina Faso, Western Niger) and Afghanistan, were among countries faced with a possible food crisis.

But the pro-Buhari group described the agency’s position as hollow and a false interpretation of the situation in the country.

A statement by the Chairman and Secretary of the group – Niyi Akinsiju and Cassidy Madueke – acknowledged the WFP’s humanitarian assistance in part of Northeast Nigeria, but expressed shock that it listed the country among “potential flashpoints to look out for in the New Year”.

It said: “There is no doubt that the UN agency and its partners require greater investment in view of the scope of work they need to handle across the world in 2020, but we won’t accept a situation where Nigeria is painted in a bad light.

“Yes, there is a crisis in a part of the Northeast, which was referenced in the report, titled: WFP Global Hotspots 2020: Potential Flashpoints to Look Out For in New Year, but there has not been a recent upsurge in violence in the region of the magnitude reflected in the report.”