THISDAY

Hunger Pangs

- Abimbola Akosile

One of the hardest things to do is to convince a hungry man that everything is okay. As the world marked the World Hunger day on May 28, the issue of hunger, which is targeted for eradicatio­n under the global Sustainabl­e Developmen­t Goals (SDGs), again arose, underlinin­g the need to curb its ravaging and anger-provoking effects in Nigeria and globally.

As a global non-government­al organisati­on The Hunger Project (THP) put it “this year World Hunger Day explores the root causes of hunger. The chronic hunger in which 795 million people live - 1 in every 9 people on the planet - is not due merely to lack of food. It occurs when people lack the opportunit­y to earn enough income, to be educated and gain skills, to meet basic health needs and have a voice in the decisions that affect their community. Some of the hidden causes of hunger are climate change, child marriage, lack of water and sanitation, gender inequality and lack of education.”

Although hunger is driving millions of Nigerians into despair, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has urged Nigerians not to despair over the prevailing economic hardships, assuring them that the worst days were over and the future was brighter. In a nationwide broadcast, he said the most difficult phase of economic crisis had been overcome and encouraged Nigerians to look forward to a brighter and more promising tenure.

He also sought the co-operation and support of Nigerians in the administra­tion’s bid to achieve its goals and objectives. The tricky part now is whether the masses, including this reporter who is an incurable optimist, would be willing to bury their hunger pangs and continue to believe in the present administra­tion, in the face of stark reality...hard task

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