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By Lawrence Agbo
The African Democratic Congress has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over comments by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on hunger and hardship in the country.
The party said Onanuga’s assertion that he did not see the level of hunger Nigerians were complaining about showed that the Federal Government was disconnected from the realities faced by ordinary citizens.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the presidential aide’s remarks reflected what it described as the dominant attitude within the Tinubu administration.
“The comments are not merely insensitive; they are a startling admission of how disconnected the APC government has become from the realities of the people it governs,” the party said.
The ADC argued that many Nigerians were struggling to afford food, transportation, school fees and other basic needs amid rising prices and declining purchasing power.
It said the country’s cost-of-living crisis was linked to economic policies introduced by the present administration, alleging that the measures had pushed more citizens into poverty.
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“The truth is that Nigerians are not faking their suffering,” the statement added. “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.”
The opposition party said government officials should assess the impact of policies by engaging citizens in markets, farms, schools, workshops and communities, rather than relying on the experiences of people within their immediate circles.
It also dismissed possible references to infrastructure projects as evidence of progress, insisting that economic policies must first enable Nigerians to feed their families, find jobs and operate businesses.
“Nigerians cannot eat roads,” the ADC said.
The party maintained that the Tinubu administration had failed to improve citizens’ welfare and urged the government to acknowledge the consequences of its economic decisions.
According to the ADC, continued dismissal of public concerns about hardship would reinforce perceptions that the government was unwilling to confront the challenges confronting Nigerians.
