*Says stealing, converting goods, food shouldn’t be option
By; KELVIN. OKPARA, Enugu,
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and university Professor, Ngozi Joy Ezeilo, has expressed concerns over the current alarming hunger in Nigeria, urging government, at all levels, to work in partnership with non-profit organizations and the private sector to consider implementing food banks, food stamps, and other social security and safety net options to provide food for the poor and most vulnerable citizens,
The former Enugu State Commissioner for Women affairs, and Founder of the famous Women Aid Collective (WACOL), a non governmental organization with bias on women and children issues, expressed this in a statement she made available to newsmen on Monday.
She said, “it is disheartening to read about the looting of the Abuja warehouse belonging to FCT. The severe hunger and extreme poverty faced by many poor and vulnerable Nigerians can push them towards criminal activities, we should all be aware of this situation.
“I remember a case from 1994 where I defended a 17-year-old orphaned girl on appeal. She had been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing cassava from a farm.
” She was hungry and desperate, yet the magistrate still applied the law. However, I pleaded as a Pro bono defence lawyer, then representing the Society for the Welfare of Women Prisoners (SWEWP), for her to be acquitted based on her age, being a first-time offender and the circumstances that led her to commit the crime.
” The lesson for Nigerians in these challenging and desperate times is that stealing is a crime, and if caught, you will be held accountable according to our Penal Laws.
“Unfortunately, the poor have limited choices and often must choose between a rock and a hard place.
” Notwithstanding, stealing and converting goods and food shouldn’t be an option. Now is the time for the government, at all levels, to work in partnership with non-profit organizations and the private sector to consider implementing food banks, food stamps, and other social security and safety net options to provide food for the poor and most vulnerable Nigerians.
“This is especially important for children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and the elderly,” she said.
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