Director of Consultancy Services for Information and Communication Technology at Jigawa State Polytechnic Kazaure, Engr. Abdulauf Adamu 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 Onanuga, while speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Tuesday, 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, 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.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
What do you think about this?
Drop your opinion in the comment section.
FOLLOW US & Share this with someone who needs to see this.
