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• Say FG insensitive to plight of Nigerians
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said comments by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga that there is no hunger in the country reflects the insensitivity of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration to the plight of Nigerians.
This is as former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, lambasted the President Bola Tinubu administration over worsening insecurity and economic hardship in the country, saying that attempts by the Presidency to blame the media for the state of affairs in the country was a dangerous exercise in denial.
ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, noted that the claim by Onanuga that he does not see the level of hunger and hardship being reported across the country, mirrors the thinking of the government.
The opposition party noted that the comment was not only insensitive but also an admission of how disconnected the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government has become from the realities in the country.
It noted that “when over 80 per cent of Nigerians are struggling to feed their families, pay school fees, afford transportation and keep their businesses alive, it is extraordinary that a senior presidential spokesman can publicly suggest that the hardship is somehow overstated or even contrived.
“The truth is that Nigerians are not faking their suffering. The unprecedented cost-of-living crisis confronting the country today is the direct result of the ill-conceived and poorly executed economic policies of the Tinubu administration, which have thrown millions more into acute poverty since this government came to power.
“Food prices have soared, transportation costs have multiplied, the value of incomes and savings has been eroded, and millions of Nigerians who were managing before are now trapped in economic distress. This is not opposition propaganda. It is the daily lived experience of ordinary Nigerians in every state of the federation.
“What makes Mr. Onanuga’s comments particularly troubling is that they reveal a government that has become tragically insular and could no longer do anything differently. A sensible government does not measure the effects of its policies by merely looking at the people within its immediate circle or driving through paved roads.
“It must listen to the people in the markets, on the farms, in the classrooms, in the workshops and in the streets. If the Presidency genuinely cannot see the hunger and hardship that Nigerians are talking about, then it raises serious questions about whether it sees the people at all.
“The APC government will undoubtedly point to roads infrastructure projects as its achievements. While even this is debatable, the fact remains that Nigerians cannot eat roads. The first responsibility of any government is to create economic conditions in which citizens can afford food, find jobs, run businesses and live with dignity. On this most fundamental test, the Tinubu administration has failed.
“After three years of promises, excuses and appeals for patience, the reality for 62% of Nigerians is that life is harder today than it was when this government took office. The ADC believes that leadership begins with honesty. The question is no longer whether Nigerians are suffering; Nigerians already know that they are. The real question is whether this government is prepared to acknowledge the consequences of its policies and accept responsibility for its historic failures. ‘
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Atiku, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, noted that it was both astonishing and insulting that at a time when millions of Nigerians are struggling to survive, the Tinubu administration has chosen to attack the messenger rather than confront the message.
According to him, “the latest comments from the Presidency reveal a disturbing disconnect between those who govern and the people they govern. Nigerians are enduring one of the most difficult periods in our recent history, yet instead of acknowledging their pain and outlining practical solutions, the government is attempting to persuade citizens that what they see, hear, and experience every day is somehow an illusion created by the media.
“The father who goes to bed wondering how to provide the next meal for his family does not need a newspaper report to confirm hardship. The mother who now pays three or four times more for basic food items than she did two years ago does not require a television broadcast to understand inflation. The small business owner whose capital has been wiped out, the graduate trapped in unemployment, and the pensioner whose savings have become worthless do not need media interpretation to understand their circumstances.”
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress ( ADC) 2027 presidential candidate, said hunger has become one of the defining features of the Tinubu administration.
He noted that to “suggest that this suffering is exaggerated is to mock the lived experiences of millions of Nigerians. It is to tell citizens that their empty pockets, unpaid bills, and empty kitchens are products of imagination.”
“The media did not invent the killings in Benue. The media did not invent the massacres in Plateau. The media did not invent the bandit attacks in Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger. The media did not invent the abduction of school children and teachers in Oyo. The media did not invent kidnapping-for-ransom, which has become one of the country’s fastest-growing criminal enterprises. The media did not invent terrorism, nor did it create the criminal gangs that continue to terrorise communities and disrupt economic activities across the nation.
“The farmer who cannot access his farmland because armed men have taken over his community does not need media validation. The trader who fears travelling on Nigerian highways does not need a newspaper headline. The parents who send their children to school with anxiety over the possibility of abduction do not need television analysis to understand the security situation.”
Atiku added that is alarming that the Presidency is apparently justifying insecurity by allegedly insinuating that many kidnapping incidents occur because citizens fail to heed police advisories against travelling at night.
“The primary duty of any government is the protection of lives and property. Citizens do not surrender their freedoms in exchange for curfews imposed by fear. A trader travelling from Kano to Lagos, a businessman returning from Abuja to Kaduna, a farmer transporting produce to market, or a family embarking on a legitimate journey should not be blamed when criminals attack them. The blame belongs squarely where it should — on those charged with securing the country.
“By that flawed logic, if armed robbers strike during the day, should Nigerians be advised not to leave their homes at all? If kidnappers attack on a highway, should the solution be to stop using the highway rather than securing it? Governance cannot be reduced to issuing warnings while criminal elements take control of public spaces.
“What Nigerians expect from their government is not an endless stream of advisories but decisive action. The measure of a secure nation is not how effectively citizens can avoid danger, but how effectively the state can eliminate it,” he stated.
