ADC accuses President Tinubu’s administration of manipulating food prices and weaponising hunger amid worsening economic hardship in Nigeria

ADC accuses Tinubu of weaponising hunger, alleging that the Federal Government is manipulating food prices and deceiving Nigerians with claims of improved agricultural output.

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In a strongly worded statement on Monday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of “weaponising hunger” and “manipulating poverty” for political gain, describing the reported drop in food prices as artificial and unsustainable.

The statement, signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, came in response to government claims that food prices were declining due to increased local production and the onset of the harvest season.

On Sunday, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, said that key programmes such as the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro-Pocket were beginning to yield results.

But the ADC dismissed those assertions as propaganda, insisting that the so-called price drop was “manufactured” through import waivers that flooded the market with cheap foreign food.

“Contrary to what is being celebrated in official circles, the reality on the ground is that the Tinubu government is manipulating food prices and weaponising hunger for political gains,” the party said.

According to the ADC, the government’s policies have created only temporary relief while crippling local farmers, who now face soaring costs of production and worsening insecurity in rural areas.

“The reported drop in prices is artificial. It is not evidence of sound policy or increased local production,” the statement continued. “Farmers have been displaced by bandits, fertiliser costs are skyrocketing, and the rural economy is under siege.”

The party also questioned the government’s handling of imported food, accusing it of hoarding supplies instead of releasing them to ease the hardship facing millions of Nigerians.

“If we are to even entertain the government’s claim that no imported food has been released, it raises an even more disturbing question — why hoard food while people starve? What kind of administration stores food during a hunger crisis?” the ADC queried.

Calling for a complete overhaul of agricultural policy, the party urged the government to prioritise local production, tackle insecurity, and invest in long-term food sovereignty instead of “temporary political optics.”

“The Nigerian people deserve truth and food, not manipulation and a false narrative of renewed hope,” the ADC said.

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Political observers view the ADC’s comments as part of growing opposition pushback against the Tinubu administration’s handling of the economic crisis, as inflation and food prices continue to erode household incomes across the country.