Reno Omakri has told those posting pictures of split yams on social media to prove that there’s hardship in Nigeria that, things are challenging in Nigeria and worldwide, but we must take some time to reflect on our eagerness to de-market our own country.
This photo is one of the most dishonest photos I have seen in a while, because of the narrative that has followed it. Which is that it is a reflection of the impoverishment of Nigerians.
Even when I was a child partly growing up in Nigeria, Nigerians bought pieces of yam because they could not afford to buy the whole tuber. This is not new practice, and it even happened before I was born and will still occur after we leave this planet. That is why Yeshua (Jesus) said:
“The poor you will always have with you.”
I schooled in England, and as a student there, I used to buy pieces of yam at Peckham, London, England, and that practice still continues today in England. If you live or have lived in England, you know this was and still is true. Does that mean the United Kingdom is finished?
Tubers of yams are not only split into two because of the inability to afford a whole tuber. Often, it is done to prove that the tuber of yam is not spoilt or rotten inside. Many people buy tubers of yam, take them home and find that they are rotten and inedible inside, though they look fine on the outside.
As a result, some traders will cut open the yams to show they are in good condition.
Things are challenging in Nigeria and worldwide, but we must take some time to reflect on our eagerness to de-market our own country.
Please research the Global Hunger Index released annually by the International Food Policy Research Institute, which is the only global body acknowledged for gauging world hunger professionally without any bias.
Nigeria is one of the few countries in Africa making progress year on year. We have coped better than expected, especially with the insecurity in the North, and especially with the Middle Belt. We are not there yet, but we will get there. One reason for this is the introduction of dry season Fadama farming, especially in Northern Nigeria.
The excitement with which we love to project negative news about our country to the world is counterproductive because nobody will come and fix Nigeria for us. So why are we de-marketing ourselves as though some foreigner will come and rescue us from ourselves?
