Some northern groups have expressed divergent views on the recent Ramadan outreach by Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu.

While some praised Seyi’s efforts in providing palliatives to the northerners, some others dismissed his efforts, describing them as a political stunt.

As part of his goodwill outreach for the holy month, the president’s son recently visited several states in northern Nigeria, including Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Yobe, Bauchi, and Sokoto.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that during the outreach, Seyi engaged with youths, distributed food packages for the Iftar (breaking of fast) period and met with several influential northern leaders and politicians.

In Niger State, Seyi met with former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar and also held discussions with immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna and Governor Uba Sani.

He also met with Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, religious and traditional leaders, including prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, according to reports.

However, Seyi’s outreach sparked diverse reactions from prominent youths and groups in the northern region.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the Coalition of Northern Groups condemned Seyi’s outreach, describing it as a reflection of the poverty ravaging northern Nigeria and the country as a whole.

The CNG National Coordinator, Jamilu Charanchi, expressed displeasure that governance had been reduced to mere food distribution, adding that government at all levels had subjected citizens to severe hardship.

He said, “It is very unfortunate that the government has subjected its citizens to severe hardship and poverty to the extent that they see a small portion of rice as a gesture or contribution towards the development of a nation.

“It is also very unfortunate that poverty has ravaged the northern parts of the country to the extent that the people therein are not thinking of anything other than a way to feed themselves and their families.

“It is also very unfortunate that the son of a president will be moving from state to state, sharing food with people in nylon. That shows how poor the people are and how deeply poverty has ravaged the country.”

He said it was barbaric for anyone to be thinking of sharing food with the citizens instead of talking about Artificial Intelligence, developmental projects, economic welfare, and the security situation of the country.

“The economy is very bad. The inflation rate is skyrocketing. The security system is very bad. Farming and cattle rearing are becoming history in the northern parts of the country. These are the issues that the government is supposed to focus on so that a man can feed himself and his family instead of waiting for the president’s son to distribute food, he added.”




https://punchng.com/kudos-knocks-over-seyi-tinubus-ramadan-outreach/