Abdulaziz Yari, Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, has sparked reactions after telling Nigerians that laziness is partly responsible for the hunger being experienced in the country.
Yari made the statement on Saturday while speaking at an APC presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The former Zamfara State governor argued that Nigerians should not blame the government alone for their economic struggles, insisting that personal effort also plays a role in people’s ability to provide for themselves.
“You are hungry because you are lazy. If you work hard, you will not be hungry,” Yari said.
According to him, a significant number of Nigerians, particularly young people, are unwilling to engage in productive work and instead prefer to remain at home expecting financial assistance.
Yari recalled that in the past, Nigerians were more inclined to farming and other forms of manual labour, saying people could work on their farms during the day and have food to eat by evening.
He lamented that the attitude has changed, claiming that some young Nigerians today are reluctant to take up farming or learn vocational skills, choosing instead to spend time on their phones while blaming the government for their economic difficulties.