Presidency says UN is being overly dramatic with famine reports

The Presidency has denied claims by the United Nations (UN) that millions of Nigerians are facing death by starvation.

The UN recently warned that 5.1 million Nigeriansin the North-East might die of hunger in 2017.

The Presidency however accused the organization of giving unnecessary “hype” to the reports of an impending famine.

A statement released by Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu reads in part:

“The Presidency wishes to put on clear records the appreciation of the country for the increasing humanitarian assistance which continues to complement the efforts of the federal and state governments in the North-East, a region in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.”

“It is a problem that the Muhammadu Buhari administration continues to handle with great sensitivity. Since his coming to office, the President has fully mobilized state mechanisms to deal with the problems and this needs to be appreciated.

“This notwithstanding, we are concerned about the blatant attempts to whip up a nonexistent fear of mass starvation by some aid agencies, a type of hype that does not provide solution to the situation on the ground but more to do with calculations for operations financing locally and abroad.

“In a recent instance, one arm of the United Nations screamed that 100,000 people will die due to starvation next year. A different group says a million will die,” he added.

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The UN has repeatedly warned of an impending famine in the North-East adding that it is not like any that has been experienced before.