The Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, paid a visit to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

A photo of the said visit, showing Bago kneeling before Tinubu, has, however, become the talk of the town, eliciting reactions from many Nigerians.

Recall that Bago attracted attention when he concurred with Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate for the 2023 election, that it was inappropriate for Nigeria to accept grain donations from war-torn Ukraine.

Bago called Obi “my boss” when he spoke at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja during the Leadership Award ceremony.

His words: “My boss,” the Niger governor told Mr Obi, “you are very right on what you’ve said. “We have no reason to be poor. People may not like you, but they must hear you. What you say is the gospel truth.”

“It is time we tell ourselves the basic truth. We need to feed ourselves. It is a shame for people (sic) like Ukraine in war to be giving us food.”

“Nigeria needs to be productive. You cannot be out of poverty unless you start to produce. I’m not an advocate of handouts and palliative. I don’t believe in it.”

Obi expressed his disappointment and referred to it as a national embarrassment that Ukraine, which is currently experiencing war, is providing food aid to Nigeria. However, the Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, rejected the criticism, stating that it is not a disgrace for Nigeria to receive grain donations from Ukraine, which is dealing with the aftermath of war.

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