Nigeria’s hunger crisis real, not politics – Adamu, Ojo tell Onanuga

Engr. Abdulauf Adamu, Director of Consultancy Services for Information and Communication Technology at Jigawa State Polytechnic, Kazaure, has faulted comments by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga who dismissed widespread reports of hunger in Nigeria, saying the country’s food crisis is supported by evidence and not political rhetoric.
Recall that while speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Tuesday, Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, defended the administration’s economic reforms and dismissed claims of widespread hunger across the country.

He said, “We have been pigeon-holed into certain assumptions and conclusions. It’s like in the early days of this government. Somebody did a voice-over saying that we are hungry. Since then, people have been saying that.

“I am a Nigerian; I have people working for me privately. I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about because I see them (workers) and I keep asking them questions. How are things? How are they adjusting? What are the problems?,” he added.

Reacting to Onanuga’s remarks on an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Sunday, Adamu argued that it was wrong to judge the condition of over 220 million Nigerians based on conversations with a few personal employees.

“This is one of the most important governance conversations in Nigeria right now, and it deserves a frank, evidence-based response,” he said.

According to him, he does not agree with Onanuga’s assessment, describing it as empirically indefensible.

“Onanuga’s central argument was that he speaks to people who work for him privately and does not see the hunger Nigerians talk about. In a country of over 220 million people, drawing national conclusions from conversations with a handful of personal employees is not analysis, it is anecdote,” Adamu said.

He added that workers could also be reluctant to openly disagree with their employer.

“His employees may simply be telling him what he wants to hear, knowing their jobs depend on his goodwill. A presidential spokesperson’s personal comfort is not a rebuttal to the World Food Programme, WFP.”

Adamu maintained that the true state of hunger and poverty in Nigeria is reflected in available data rather than personal experiences.

He claimed that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have identified Nigeria among countries facing worsening food insecurity and said millions of Nigerians are at risk of severe hunger.

He also cited figures he attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics, saying food inflation and the rising cost of basic food items have made life increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians.

“Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also paints a grim picture.”

He said food inflation stood at 16.96 per cent year-on-year in May 2026, driven by rising prices of onions, maize, yam, cassava, tomatoes, pepper, wheat and plantain.

Adamu further claimed that a crate of eggs, which sold at lesser prices few years ago, now costs between ₦6,000 and ₦8,500, while a bag of rice now sells for between ₦70,000 and ₦100,000, roughly equal to or above the national minimum wage.

“Millions of Nigerians are no longer making choices aimed at improving their lives; they are simply deciding which basic necessities to sacrifice,” he said.

Adamu further argued that reports from social media, markets and civil society organisations all point to the same reality.

“Middle-class households have been pushed down, the working poor have been pushed to the edge, and the truly poor are going without meals. This is not political opposition rhetoric, it is lived experience.”

Speaking on the impact of rising cooking gas, electricity and fuel prices, Adamu said many families can no longer afford to refill their gas cylinders at once.

He said LPG prices in parts of the country increased by as much as 64 per cent within two months, rising from ₦1,100 per kilogram in April to about ₦2,000 per kilogram in June 2026.

He added that refilling a 12.5kg cylinder now costs between ₦20,000 and ₦25,250, forcing many households to buy just two or three kilograms at a time.

“Many families now buy gas two or three kilograms at a time just to manage monthly budgets. Small business owners, restaurants and food vendors cannot absorb these costs,” he said.

He added that high petrol, diesel and kerosene prices have increased transportation costs, food prices and the cost of running generators, worsening the hardship faced by households.

He also said petrol now sells for about ₦1,232 per litre, diesel costs between ₦1,200 and ₦1,700 per litre, while kerosene has risen to as much as ₦2,976 per litre in some parts of the country.

Describing the combined effect of rising food prices, cooking gas costs, electricity tariffs and transport fares, Adamu said, “It is a perfect storm of deprivation hitting households from every direction at once.”

Addressing public officials who insist that reports of hunger are exaggerated, Adamu said infrastructure development should not be used to dismiss the struggles of ordinary citizens.

“Roads are not meals. Infrastructure is a legitimate achievement, and no one denies that a new concrete road is welcome. But a family that cannot afford dinner does not celebrate their commute. Nigerians cannot eat roads. They cannot feed their children on official optimism or government public relations narratives while food prices soar beyond the reach of ordinary households.”

He also referred to the launch of a food aid project by the Saudi Arabian Embassy for vulnerable Nigerians, arguing that such interventions reflect the seriousness of the country’s food situation.

“Foreign governments can see the hunger that Nigeria’s own spokesman cannot. That is not a defence of the administration’s record; it is a condemnation of the information bubble those officials live in,” he said.

Adamu urged government officials to acknowledge the hardship Nigerians are facing rather than dismissing it.

“A sensible government does not measure the effects of its policies by looking at people within its immediate circle or driving through paved roads. The question is no longer whether Nigerians are suffering; Nigerians already know they are. The question is whether this government is prepared to acknowledge the consequences of its policies.

“Acknowledgment is not weakness; it is the prerequisite for effective governance. Officials who dismiss the suffering only ensure that bad policies go uncorrected, and that the gap between the government and the governed grows wider and more dangerous,” he said.

Hardship is real, officials should visit communities before speaking – Kabiru Ojo

Kabiru Ojo, a political analyst urged government officials to leave their offices and visit communities before dismissing reports of hunger and hardship across Nigeria.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Saturday while reacting to comments by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Ojo said the reality on the streets tells a different story.

According to him, it is not surprising that Onanuga does not see the suffering because he lives and works in Aso Rock.

“Actually, Bayo Onanuga will say he will not see the poverty Nigerians are complaining about because he and his family are enjoying Nigeria’s money from Aso Rock,” he said.

“But in reality, Nigerians are really suffering.”

Ojo blamed the hardship on rising inflation, which he said has continued to reduce people’s purchasing power while the prices of essential goods and services keep increasing.

“The suffering is due to inflation while the means of getting money is diminishing and the prices of commodities are increasing. House rent is increasing, education is increasing and many other things are becoming more expensive,” he said.

He added that many families have been forced to make difficult decisions because they can no longer afford the cost of living.

“So many households have withdrawn their children from school. Some have moved their children from expensive schools to cheaper ones, while others have reduced the number of children they can afford to send to school. This shows that Nigerians are really suffering under the present administration.”

Ojo said the growing number of people begging for food in public places is another sign of the worsening economic situation.

“When you go out on the streets before you get to your house or workplace, you see countless people begging for food or asking for sadaka (alms) so they can eat. When you go to the mosque, you see people crying that they are sick, they cannot feed themselves or their families and asking for whatever assistance people can give them.”

“These are signs that people are really suffering.”

He advised Onanuga to leave Aso Rock and interact more with ordinary Nigerians before making public comments about the country’s economic situation.

“Onanuga needs to go out and move around the streets before concluding that people are not hungry. He should not remain in Aso Rock and think everybody is living well and enjoying life like those in Aso Rock.”

Asked whether poverty had reduced under the current administration, Ojo said the answer depends on the period being compared.

“If you compare it with the previous administration, I will tell you poverty has not reduced; it has deteriorated,” he said.

“But if you compare last year with this year, there is a bit of relief.”

According to him, the slight improvement is linked to the implementation of the new minimum wage and an increase in the amount of money circulating in the economy.

“When they implemented the minimum wage, it made money flow a little. The relief is there, but it is not significant.”

He also said the government’s importation of food helped reduce the prices of some farm produce, although he warned that the policy could have negative consequences for local agriculture.

“The government also imported some food materials. That is why the prices of some farm produce reduced. But while doing that, it is indirectly killing the agricultural system in the country, even though it brought temporary relief in terms of food.”

Ojo recalled that last year, he saw many people in the north eating tafasa (sickle pod), a wild leafy plant, because they could not afford other food.

“As of last year, I saw a lot of people eating tafasa (sickle pod). I was surprised because I thought it was just a delicious leaf. I saw people going into the bush to gather it in large quantities.”

“But this year, I don’t see people gathering it the way they did last year. To me, that shows there is a slight reduction in poverty compared to last year, although the hardship is still there.”

He also described how the economic situation has affected the average family in his community.

“An average person in my community can now manage two meals a day without meat or fish. Before, those same people ate three meals a day with meat or fish. Now they eat only two meals, and even those meals have no meat or fish.

“My message to those in government who say hunger is being exaggerated is simple: they should come to the streets and carry out a proper survey.

“When they come to the streets and see the large number of people asking for help, they will realise that the money they carry will not even be enough to meet the needs of those begging.

“Once they do that, they will know that people are really suffering. Let them come to the streets, make a survey and they will see the hardship in our communities for themselves,” he added.

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