Truly unfortunate with these reversals: “In a surprising and abrupt move, the Nigerian government has withdrawn its recently announced plan to sell subsidized 50-kilogram bags of rice to public servants at the discounted price of N40,000. This decision, which was initially intended as a relief measure amidst ongoing national protests against rising food prices and inflation, has left many Nigerians bewildered, as no official reason was provided for the sudden reversal.”
In the Igbo Nation, there is an explanation – “no man, no matter how wealthy, can prepare enough food for his kinsmen, but if those kinsmen make food for him, he will be unable to consume the whole food”. That proverb is saying: the Nigerian government, no matter how loaded with cash, cannot “cook” for Nigerians, and any effort to try that is pure stupidity. So, there is nothing surprising that the government has disconnected the policy before it began at scale.
Yet, this goes beyond “cooking” because if your village cooks for you, you are done and finished even though the village can consume whatever you bring. The Nigerian government must think over these policies before announcing them, to avoid all these avoidable own goals and mindless reversals.
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Nigeria Abruptly Halts Sale of N40,000 Subsidized 50kg Rice to Public Servants
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