Senate President Godswill Akpabio has advised Nigerians to help themselves wherever they see free food.
He made the remark in a recent video of him presiding over a plenary session in the Red Chamber.
In the video, the Nigerian leader is seen laughing with his colleagues following the remark.
The advice comes amidst harsh economic realities faced by Nigerians, largely due to President Bola Tinubu’s policies, such as the removal of fuel subsidy.
Recently, Nigeria’s state-owned oil company, NNPC Ltd, increased petrol prices by over 15%, marking the second hike in less than a month, effectively exiting a subsidy program that the government said has strained its finances. The product is sold above N1,000 per litre in various places across the country.
This is not the first time Akpabio has been filmed making similar remarks. At the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities, Youths and Women Group Sensitisation Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in July, the Senate President mocked Nigerians planning to protest against economic hardship, saying he and other National Assembly members would be “eating” while they protested.
“Those who want to protest can protest, but let us be here eating,” the former Akwa Ibom State governor had said.