FDD President Edith Nawakwi has accused Republican President Edgar Lungu of putting the country’s peace and stability at risk saying hunger was a recipe for war.
Commenting on the late delivery of farming inputs, Ms Nawakwi observed that keeping people hungry would bring anarchy and promote civil strife in the country saying “a hungry man is an angry person.”
She further explained that national security was not just about guns but that the greatest war was in one’s stomach adding that the nation’s security depended on people not being hungry.
“I think that President Lungu wants to bring war in this country because if people are hungry they are likely to start fighting. If we don’t eat that’s a State security issue, State security does not only mean guns but people’s stomachs as well. A hungry man is an angry person,” Ms. Nawakwi said.
Ms. Nawakwi further accused agriculture Minister Given Lubinda of being ignorant of the country’s agriculture sector saying he just sits in his office at Mulungunshi House were he drinks coffee.
“That Minister of agriculture is lazy, he just sits in his office at Mulungunshi House, he doesn’t even know that farmers have not received their inputs. He doesn’t know anything about Agriculture and he is completely ignorant about the operations in the Agriculture sector.”
She called on the Government to put their acts together and ensure that inputs are given to the farmers before the situation degenerates to another Copperbelt where over 10,000 workers lost jobs.
Ms. Nawakwi said this in Chikankata where she was monitoring the delivery of Soya Beans seed to cooperatives in the area.
The FDD has donated Soya Beans and Maize seed, requisite chemicals and knapsacks valued at over K27,000 to ten cooperatives.
Meanwhile, the opposition leader said a farmer should not only be given seed and fertilizer but should be fully supported with all the necessary requirements including technical support to ensure a maximum yield when harvesting.
” As FDD we want Small Scale Farmers to succeed. We believe that if a farmer is fully supported he will grow enough to eat and sell so that you can build better houses, take your children to good schools and remain with something for a rainy day or for medicine. this is the difference between us and our friends in the PF, for them farming is about growing enough for stomach only”.
“They think that farmers in the country are only interested in eating and not bettering their lives. Everyone in this country wants to be better off but how can you move from the state of poverty and squalor when your government can not fully support you? I know even in these village you want your children to do better, produce more and buy Canter trucks so that they can drive to Mazabuka and Lusaka.”
“When we form government we will fully support the farmers for 3 years and by that we mean providing all the necessary inputs, chemicals and technical support to ensure that they succeed in moving from the state of poverty to successful farmers.”
Eunice Mweene who spoke on behalf of the women called on fellow women across the country to support their fellow woman in next years elections saying she had demonstrated that she was more than capable of leading the country.
She said women for a long time had looked down upon their fellow females and that it was now time for them to stop thinking that only men can be leaders further encouraging them to aspire for leadership positions and stop the self pity.
She also thanked the FDD President for the gesture and promised to ensure that they get the maximum yield as all the requirements had been provided including technical support by a trained Agriculturist.
In pictures
Remy Mainga of MRI Syngenta explains how to plant Soya Beans for maximum yield as FDD President Edith Nawakwi looks on.
One of the beneficiaries of the grant Mrs Mweemba demonstrates how to use a knapsack as FDD President cheers her.
Show us what you did when you were minister. Please do not talk about street lights called First Nawakwi
…..iwe Nawakwi, the people of Chikankata told you that they need someone to educate them on how the e-voucher works and instead of educating them since you’re on the ground, you just want to politic. It seams you want the PF government to fail like the Southern province MP’s who have chosen not to educate their electorate on how this system works so that they can tell the people of Southern province that the PF govnt failed to deliver impliments.
And how exactly is Lungu keeping people hungry?
How much money does the average Zambian man spend on alcohol?
How much money does the average Zambian woman spend on Brazilian hair and skin bleaching creams.
Clearly this is a country with mixed priorities and food is not on top of the list.
@Nubian, when I am in Zambia I drink Chibuku in Luapula or Chinika in Lusaka, very healthy beers. It goes in stomach, then top up with hozamwina of roasted chucks of goat meat and hot-chikanda. This what I tell Edgar to drink, he will look more healthy than what those cheap Jamesons are doing to him, ni Kachasu ilya.
It is you women who is messing the Zambian security with your hair.
Had Edith not exposed Chiluba, we would probably never have known the extent of fiscal plunder under his regime. I had the privilege of sitting in a meeting with Zamtel MD, during which Nawakwi as Finance Minister implored the gentleman to be innovative by introducing prepaid phone services. The same advice she gave to Zesco.
It was interesting reading this article because it’s tone was all about creating friction and effectively planting the seed of violence.
We live in a civilized world and i would suspect that people would air their views rather than violence.
There is a way to make a valid point based in fact and analysis (both of which are missing here) but hearsay, hyperbole and scaremongering highlights to us the readers that Ms Nawakwi is either ignorant or playing a political game to attack the current administration.
A dangerous ploy that is to cause a fracas for political reasons that has nothing to do with what farmers and the wider Zambian population actually want, need and think.
Making such statements as “hunger is an issue for national security and could lead to war” is complete…
nonsense and people of Zambian know that.
We are not as stupid as you may think, this is the Information Age where everyone has an opportunity to be well read and see through the fake credentials certain individuals claim to hold.
Words and actions expose the wolf in sheeps clothing.
Watch this girl! Sata won the elections by using a similar strategy … She may not win the 2016 elections but she is mobilizing steadily for 2021….. And I am afraid that by the time her competitors are awake she will be way ahead ….”If you can’t beat them, at least , confuse them”
That strategy worked for Sata’s character. On Nawakwi it’s a clear misfit
YABA NAWAKWI ALEPWISHA UBUKALI NE CHIFUKUSHI CHA BUSHIMBE MULI BA LUNGU NA MA POLITICS. LUNGU ALYUPA NICE NICE WIVE NOT IYEE KABOLALA KANO FYE ICHIPUBA ECHINGA KU VOTELA. WAFILWA UKUPWA KA AGE NAKO KAYA PAMULU KABIKA NAWAKWI MU PANIC GEAR. IF U WERE MARRIED U WUD BE A GUD ~ BUT BEING SINGLE IT WILL BE A DISGRACE TO ZED. LOVE IS TOUGH TO HANDLE U END UP BEING CAUGHT WITH A WATCHMAN AT STATE HOUSE. ADVISE GET MARRIED TO MUYOKELA BEFORE XMAS SO THAT NEXT YEAR U JUST GO FULL TIME CAMPAGNING Otherwise Forget About Standing. CHECK THE NUMBER OF PIPO ATTENDING YO MEETINGS. NAWAKWI NA HH EYIMWE MULE CONING’A ABASUNGU ATI MUKAWINA AND YET U CANT WIN EVEN IF U STOOD WITH A FROG. 2016 ALL OUTSIDE FUNDERS WILL KNOW WHAT ZAMBIANS LIKE & LOVE
Nawakwi learn to respect the Presidency and for your own information even the people of Chieftainicy Nawaitwika including her royal highness herself have rejected you despite being her Granddaughter all because of your vulgar language…
I think Nawakwi is should learn to keep quiet and think before exposing her ignorance! I think the Government is trying and doing everything they can to ensure farmers do not suffer. I have friends working with Ministry of Agriculture, I tell you, the Government has already provided the farming inputs. Farmers have already received their inputs, if they haven’t then they are just being political for nothing. Nawakwi GROW UP!
This one is an amateur politician. She needs a PR company and an image builder
I am not a fan of Nawakwi generally, but apart from the war mongering tone, she does make some sense about Agriculture in general and how small scale farmers are treated. If we are to be honest with ourselves, can anyone clearly identify and delimit what the PF policy is on agriculture?
President Lungu is not a failure, Nawakwi and those of you who were in power before Lungu are the failures. MMD didn’t do its job otherwise all these problems couldn’t be blamed on a 4 year party called PF. Only a fool and I mean a fool would believe all this nonsense. Unip ruled for 27 yrs , mmd 20 yrs. If these two parties did their work Zambia would be Heaven on Earth. Zambians are not foolish to believe your nonsense, telling us about load shedding , its not new. Only those who were born yesterday would believe that nonsense. You had the time as Energy Minister in chiluba government and did nothing about improving power deficit. Ma rubbish.
Lusaka times shame on you . You only publicise what you want to hear. If one agrees with Lungu’s government, you deliberately cut them off why? Get the truth, Lungu is working and will definitely win next year.
Nawakwi had the time to improve on energy but decided to do nothing. No one will vote for her on the basis of demining Lungu. Lungu didn’t impose himself on the presidency. People voted for him. Don’t waste your energy on Lungu this, Lungu that. What nonsense from the opposition. Tell us your strategy and how you will make Kariba dam full of water to sort out load shedding. stop bluffing imwe.
Nawakwi needs a solid pipe, I think that’s what’s lacking in her life
Nawakwi remember that,chikankata is southern province.Better u donate those items in Luapula where u get some votes.Mansa central and Bangweulu bye elections u came 2nd
#1. More than 2000 bores were sunk through the ‘Community Management and Monitoring Unit ‘ whilst minister in then Ministry of Energy and Water Development.
Meant Bore Holes
@jkalusa you really good at nothing but corrupting your iner moral fibres if at all you have any! What did you just say lungu is maried to? @ lungu is maried to a nice nice womaniser or sory, l meant woman. You must be a nice sleepy id!Ot ta, probably with just a birth certificate as your qualification! So you think we dont know the relationship that you bare with madam edna chagwesa ma lungs? You bunch of tribal pfools together with your corrupt drunken master kaminamisa who by far cant be compared with president Nawakwi & HH of the UPND! Viva pact formation=2016.
Comment: The more she yaps the more credible men run away from her.
I would appreciate in your campaigning strategy to point out projects which you implemented to fight hunger and load shedding and which were destroyed by ECL! Then we would shift from ECL to you ! Otherwise I call this a bunch of lies and cheap politics! And don’t waste your time in Chikankata…..
Just a write off of a politician. I hope that you have enough donations to keep feeding the poor for a long time to come until we defeat poverty. Otherwise we take it that you are playing your usual mediocre politics.
The problem with this woman’s politics is that she talks like a …….D she like talking things like I buried a placenta becouse the machines UTH are not working those talks scares supporters even satas cheap political pr was better than her