- Safiu Kehinde
Popular Nigerian journalist and Arise TV presenter, Oseni Rufai, has sparked mixed reactions over an X post showing yams sliced and sold in pieces by a trader over economic hardship.
Rufai had on Thursday shared the post forwarded to him by an X user.
The X user whose name was not disclosed claimed to have witnessed the development at one Ile Epo market where the yam trader put the pieces of yam on display with each piece sold for N500.
He claimed that the trader had resolved to the decision some people could not afford to buy a whole tuber due to its cost.
“I’m at Ile Epo market now and I saw something that moved me to tears. I was shocked to my bones to see they cut yam to pieces to sell 500 naira because some people can’t afford to buy a tuber of yam anymore.” The post read with an attached picture showing the pieces of yams on the floor.
This had sparked mixed reactions from netizens with some slamming Rufai as they maintained that the cutting yam in pieces for sale is an old tradition and has nothing to do with economic hardship.
Others however agreed with the journalist as they considered the development as an effect of economic hardship and food inflation in the country.
“This is an age long practice and did begin with Tinubu, but this at Oyigbo market rivers state as a child”@NwigweC_
“It’s done like this to prove that the yam is good and not bad inside. Have you not bought many tubers of yam that looks perfect on the outside but bad on the inside”@Big_marvis
“Instead of advertising, why not buy everything and share it with hungry people? You prefer to engage with it for money on social media. Humpty Dumpty!”@adekunle_j
“But jokes aside Nigerians are compassionate with each other. The bad the economy is the we make things in a way where the poor can afford them. At the same time this is also bad coz it make people adjust fast and not revolt against the bad governance”@Princeinnojr
“This is happening under “Renewed Hope”. Tell me what will happen when we enter “Expect More”?”@EOguguah
“It’s terrible! Some people have forgotten the taste of meat how much more fish. It’s bad oooo, it’s bad!”@Real_Ebube
“You are a disgrace, Rufai. You really need to get off your ass, leave the comfort of your office and go out for some investigative journalism, not the yeyenatu you do all the time on air. The first time I saw this was in Minna, Niger State in the year 2001, and they were selling pieces of broken tubers of yam, those damaged by cutlass during harvest or the part cut away from the one getting spoilt. Ask questions when you don’t know, everything is not about blind copy and paste.”@AlliOlabisi5
“sad to note that, the same people who can’t afford to buy a tuber of yam will still sell their vote for #5000 and 1kg of rice to vote for their oppressors. Most Nigerian are terrible enablers.”ImmanuelAby
“Bad governance is a plague to humanity. Propaganda governance is like hiding behind one finger.”@t_titiloye
“This one don dey since, they are now cutting roasted corn so that people can afford to buy but Peter Obi is neither the Messiah coming to save Nigeria. Ok?”@PossibleFarmCC