The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Obidient Movement have accused the President Bola Tinubu government of gross insensitivity following comments by Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, saying he does not perceive the magnitude of hunger and misery being reported across the country.
But the federal government acknowledged the country’s agricultural revolution would need considerably more capital than it could offer alone, The Guardian reported.
ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Onanuga’s comments represented the mainstream thinking in the Tinubu-led government and reaffirmed its position over the years that the present administration “is disconnected from the reality” in the country.
ADC has slammed recent comments by Onanuga, saying he does not see the magnitude of poverty and hardship Nigerians are talking about. These statements are not only disrespectful, but are a shocking confession of how much out of touch the APC government is with the realities of the people it rules. It is remarkable that a top presidential spokesman would publicly claim that the hardship is either exaggerated or even created, when over 80 per cent of Nigerians are fighting to feed their families, pay school fees, afford transit and keep their businesses alive.
“The reality is that Nigerians are not pretending their sufferings. The country is presently grappling with an unparalleled cost-of-living crisis, which is a direct consequence of the ill-conceived and badly implemented economic policies of the Tinubu administration that have plunged millions more into acute poverty since this government came to power. Food prices are skyrocketing, travel costs are multiplying, the value of earnings and savings is being eroded, and millions of Nigerians who were getting by before are now caught in economic turmoil. “This is not opposition propaganda, this is the daily lived experience of ordinary Nigerians in every state of the federation.” Newspapers
The party said: “What is particularly troubling about Onanuga’s comments is that it speaks of a government that has become tragically insular and could no longer do anything differently.
He said a wise administration does not determine the impact of its programs by just looking at the people around or who go on paved roads.
The Obidient Movement in a statement issued yesterday also described the remarks as disrespectful and emblematic of “a growing disconnect” between government leaders and the terrible reality of regular residents across the country.
The criticism came after Onanuga’s appearance on Arise Television where he was said to have remarked that he did not see the widespread hunger being reported by many Nigerians.
The Movement claimed the comment was a rejection of the daily hardships of millions of citizens who are grappling with rising food prices, dwindling salaries and worsening economic conditions. News Papers
According to the group, which is said to be populated by adherents of Peter Obi and his ideals, many households are finding it increasingly difficult to afford essentials, while businesses continue to grapple with high operational costs, exchange currency volatility and decreased consumer spending.
It contended that the economic position of the country worsened dramatically over the years, citing the severe depreciation of the naira and the rising cost of key commodities as pointers to increasing suffering.
The government underlined the need to attract private sector investment in Nigeria’s agriculture area, through a blended finance structure to mitigate risks associated with agribusiness ventures.
“Agriculture is key to Nigeria’s food security, job creation, industrial development, export capabilities and overall prosperity,” Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural growth Fund, Mohammed Ibrahim told newsmen.
“Public capital alone is not enough to finance the transformation of Nigeria’s agriculture sector. “Similarly, private capital will not be mobilised at the necessary scale unless the risks are fully understood, appropriately allocated and effectively managed.”
The conversations with stakeholders in 2025, Ibrahim said, showed there were big pools of capital in the financial system, including development finance and concessional funding, but investment in agribusiness was limited by difficulties in risk assessment, investment structuring and alignment with agricultural value chains.
The government’s long-term goal, he said, is to build an organised market where financial providers, agricultural operators, technical specialists and risk-sharing organisations can work together more efficiently.
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