Presidency Fires Back at Newspaper Editorial, Defends Tinubu’s Economic Policies Amid Hunger Claims

Presidency has fired back at Newspaper Editorial and defended Tinubu’s Economic Policies amid hunger claims.

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Nigerian Presidency has strongly rejected a recent editorial criticizing the state of the economy under President Bola Tinubu, calling the publication’s claims exaggerated, biased, and unrepresentative of ongoing government efforts.

In a statement issued Thursday, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, accused the newspaper widely identified as Daily Trust  of spreading “selective pessimism” by focusing only on hardship while ignoring policy gains and interventions.

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The editorial had claimed that “Nigerians are hungry, suffering, and struggling to survive,” citing factors such as inflation, food insecurity, and weakened purchasing power. It also highlighted a UNICEF projection that 33 million Nigerians, including 16 million children may face severe food insecurity by 2025.

However, the government dismissed these claims as alarmist and unfair, stressing that such narratives distort the realities of a recovering economy. “Misrepresentations, selective use of projections, and alarmist narratives do not serve the public good,” Dare said. “They distract from the genuine progress underway nationwide.”

He insisted that the Tinubu administration is implementing bold reforms to reset Nigeria’s economy from “a legacy of consumption without productivity” to one focused on sustainable growth, accountability, and inclusion.

Among interventions highlighted are the release of 42,000 metric tons of grains from strategic reserves, procurement of 117,000 additional metric tons, and expanded emergency nutrition support in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Katsina, Sokoto, and Bauchi States.

The presidency also rejected the claim that low-income earners have become “off-street beggars,” defending the recent gains of the naira. According to Dare, the naira has recovered significantly from its lowest point of ₦1,800/$1 in March to ₦1,525/$1 as of August 1, 2025, attributing the rebound to improved oil earnings, foreign remittances, and FX market reforms.

Further countering the editorial’s assertion that the school feeding programme has fizzled out, the government stated that the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme currently serves 9.8 million children in 53,000 schools across the country, employing over 200,000 cooks and local farmers. The programme is also undergoing digitisation to improve transparency and efficiency.

On social welfare, the presidency noted that three million households have received ₦75,000 each under the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer, with plans to expand the coverage to 15 million households. It added that 396,000 students now benefit from NELFUND tuition loans and stipends.

While acknowledging that some Nigerians still face economic hardship, the government insists that current policies are laying the foundation for a more resilient and equitable future.