Food inflation: Tinubu has run out of ideas, says ADC

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of running out of ideas on how to tackle rising food prices, saying the Federal Government’s focus on headline inflation does not reflect the worsening hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.

The opposition party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the latest inflation figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that while headline inflation moderated, food inflation continued to accelerate, making basic food items increasingly unaffordable.

The ADC said the government should stop celebrating marginal improvements in headline inflation and instead make food security a central component of national security.

According to the party, headline inflation moderated from 15.91 per cent in June to 15.43 per cent in July, but food inflation rose from 17.52 per cent to 20.31 per cent year-on-year over the same period.

It also noted that food inflation increased from 3.75 per cent in June to 5.56 per cent in July on a month-on-month basis, describing the trend as a more immediate concern for households struggling to afford basic necessities.

The party said the figures showed a disconnect between the government’s narrative of economic recovery and the reality confronting Nigerians at markets and homes.

“While the government celebrates the moderation in headline inflation announced by the NBS, the same report tells a much more troubling story,” the ADC said.

It added that the rising cost of staples such as rice, tomatoes, onions, pepper, beef, eggs and garri was placing further pressure on household incomes.

The opposition party also cited an earlier Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) assessment which it said indicated that 35 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity, with millions of children at risk of malnutrition.

“That is the economy Nigerians are experiencing under Bola Tinubu’s APC,” the party said.

The ADC therefore challenged the administration to explain why Nigerians were finding it increasingly difficult to afford food despite its claims that its economic reforms were producing results.

“The Tinubu administration must answer a very simple question: If the government’s economic reforms are working, why are Nigerians still finding it increasingly difficult to afford food?” it asked.

The party said a responsible government should be prepared to acknowledge when its policies were not delivering the desired results, accusing the administration of relying excessively on statistical indicators and public messaging.

It said the government should immediately adopt measures aimed at increasing food production while reducing the cost of agricultural inputs, energy, transportation and access to finance.

The ADC also called for stronger security for farmers and farming communities, arguing that efforts to increase agricultural production would remain ineffective if farmers could not safely access their farms, harvest their crops or transport produce to markets.

The opposition party said it would adopt a different approach if elected, beginning with an integrated national food production and distribution strategy focused on the staples most consumed by Nigerians.

It said its proposed approach would move away from what it described as scattered agricultural interventions towards targeted programmes designed to increase production and improve distribution.

The ADC also promised to directly tackle the rising cost of production by providing targeted support to reduce the prices of fertiliser, seeds, machinery, diesel, transportation and agricultural finance.

“Farmers cannot produce affordable food when the cost of fertiliser, seeds, machinery, diesel, transportation and finance keeps rising,” the party said.

It further identified the security of farmers and farm settlements as a key pillar of its proposed food policy.

“There is little point providing farmers with inputs if insecurity prevents them from reaching their farms, harvesting their crops or transporting them to market,” the party said.