Buhari’s “Grow what you eat or die” comment angers Nigerians

President Muhammadu Buhari faced criticisms on Tuesday for saying his decision to close the borders was a way of telling Nigerians to “grow what they eat or die.”

The president was speaking at the opening of a new office for the Nigeria Customs Service, reportedly constructed at the cost of N19.6 billion.

Speaking at the event, the president said “Nigerians insisted that they have to impress their neighbours and other people that they eat foreign rice, I said no foreign rice. You either eat what you grow, you grow what you eat, or you die,” according to a video shared online. The president’s audience responded with an applause.

The comment has sparked criticisms with many Nigerians accusing the president of lacking empathy for his longsuffering citizens. Critics argue that the president’s words failed to acknowledge the challenges faced by vulnerable families and communities, who struggle to feed and even farm due to insecurity.

“So much empathy coming from the number citizen of a country of 200 million people,” one Twitter user Cyrus Ademola wrote. “The saddest part is some people clapped to that.”

– Closing the border

The 2019 border closure remains one the president’s most controversial policies. It is blamed for the steep rise in inflation later compounded by the Covid crisis and the Russia/ Ukraine war.

The administration shut the borders in August 2019 to check smuggling, instantly pushing prices skywards. The borders were reopened three years after.

Inflation in April surged past 22%, the highest in 18 years, but the president argues that the border closure helped the country.

“I think I try to make my point. And later Nigerians appreciated it (border closure) because it provides more jobs. People go back to the land. We have the land and we produce what we eat,” he said at the Customs event.

Many Nigerians don’t see that help. Despite increased rice production in the country, for instance, the price has shot from below N10,000 for a 50kg bag to nearly N40,000 in the last eight years of the administration.

“With your administration you only suffered Nigerians,” said another user Umar Tambuwal wrote.

– Niger connection

President Buhari, whose eight-year term is coming to a close on May 29, said he plans to stay away from Abuja and repeated his comment that if disturbed or threatened, he will seek refuge in Niger.

“I have only six more days to go. I try to plan to be as far away from Abuja as possible,” he said. “I thank goodness that I came from an area which is farther away from Abuja. I said if anybody with false moves, I established good relationship with my neighbours. Niger people will defend me.”

In a version of the event reported by Sahara Reporters, Mr Buhari said he visited Niger in his first trip abroad as president to nurture a good relationship.

“I said these few things about my personal belief because I have only six more days to go,” he was quoted as saying.

“That is why when I became the Head of State that is President, my first visit was to Niger, Chad and Cameroon because based on neighbourhood on personal and national reason. If you don’t secure the confidence of your neighbour, you are in trouble.

“If you are not in trouble, your children and grandchildren will be in trouble. So it is very good I established relationship with my neighbours.”