The Presidency has reaffirmed that President Bola Tinubu is implementing deliberate and focused strategies to achieve food security and reposition the nation’s economy.
It assured Nigerians that several of these initiatives are already yielding positive results.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Mr. Sunday Dare, affirmed this in a statement titled: “Critique Requires Fact-Driven Narrative: A Response to Daily Trust Editorial”
Describing the publication as an exaggerated and one-sided portrayal of Nigeria with regards to food security, Mr. Dare acknowledged that while the Tinubu administration does not deny that some Nigerians face economic difficulties, he stressed the importance of separating genuine concern from undue pessimism and sweeping generalisations.
“A recent editorial by Daily Trust paints an exaggerated and unbalanced portrait of Nigeria as a nation overwhelmed by hunger, hardship, and helplessness…
“The Tinubu administration believes in the right of the media to offer constructive criticism, but it must be anchored on facts, not distortion or selective pessimism. The Daily Trust has on several occasions breached this rule by misrepresenting government policies and actions—a trend for which the newspaper has publicly apologised at least twice.
“While no one in the Tinubu administration denies that some of our citizens face economic challenges, it is essential to separate honest concern from exaggerated pessimism and generalisation.
The Presidential aide said many of the policies currently facing criticisms are precisely those designed to secure a more stable, prosperous future for Nigerians.
He cautioned against misrepresentations, selective projections, and alarmist narratives, emphasising that such distortions hinder public understanding and detract from ongoing progress taking place across the country.
“This is the context that Daily Trust omitted in its jaundiced editorial,” he said.
“1. UNICEF Projection vs. Cadre Harmonisé Analysis.
“The editorial referenced a UNICEF “prediction” from April 2025 stating that 33 million Nigerians, including 16 million children, would face hunger in 2025. This figure has been widely cited but wrongly interpreted.
“What was presented was not a UNICEF-specific report but the Cadre Harmonisé Food and Nutrition Insecurity Analysis, jointly prepared by the Federal Government of Nigeria, FAO, WFP, and UNICEF. It is not a current count, but a worst-case projection for the June–August 2025 lean season, assuming no mitigation actions by government or partners.
“Here are some of the measures taken by the government to ensure we never get there: Over 42,000 metric tons of grains were released from federal strategic reserves; 117,000 metric tons were under additional procurement; the President activated the Food Security Council; emergency nutrition support was scaled up in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Katsina, Sokoto, and Bauchi States.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not indifferent to Nigerians’ difficulties. On the contrary, he is taking deliberate, targeted steps—many already yielding results—to reset our economy from a legacy of consumption without productivity, opacity without accountability, and policy that served the powerful, not the people.” Mr Dare added.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications also highlighted that the Tinubu- led administration is Coordinating With States to alleviate Hardship.
He revealed that the President is closely working with State Governors through the National Economic Council (NEC) to implement immediate local tax reliefs, VAT waivers, and food market stabilisation efforts in each state.
Cash Grants
Mr Dare added that states have received direct cash support and grants for local market stabilisation while coordination is ongoing to scale up nutrition interventions, including micronutrient support for women and children.
“We also acknowledge that hardship is uneven across regions. However, Nigeria is one country, one people, and the fight against hunger is a collective effort, not a northern, southern, Christian, or Muslim issue.
“Let’s speak the truth. Yes, Nigerians are belt-tightening, but Nigeria is healing. The economic surgery undertaken by President Tinubu is not without pain, but it is yielding green shoots.
“To those who ask, “Where is the hope?” We say hope is in the stabilising naira, in three million families lifted by direct transfers, and about 400,000 students now schooling without fear of paying fees. Hope is in the 500,000 farmers sowing into a new food system. Hope is in a government that is finally treating poverty not as a slogan but as a solvable problem.
“Only recently, this administration launched an effort to drive grassroots economic growth and poverty reduction across Nigeria, as President Bola Tinubu approved a ward-level development strategy called the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP).
“This initiative, which was endorsed by the National Economic Council (NEC) during its 150th meeting, is part of the President’s broader Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims for a $1 trillion economy by 2030, ” Mr Dare added.
Dare emphasised that malnutrition is a critical national issue and should not be narrowly characterised as a “Northern Nigeria” crisis.
He added that Nigeria is responding to global food prices and on a path to recovery.
“Malnutrition is a serious national concern, but let’s not localise it as a “Northern Nigeria crisis. Since 2020, COVID has disrupted the global food system, worsened the Russia-Ukraine war, and is now aggravated by conflict in the Middle East.
“According to the World Bank’s April 2025 Food Security Update, over 1.4 billion people worldwide are under food stress, a problem that is not unique to Nigeria,” he added.
Food Security
Dare recalled that since 2020, the global food system has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, further exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and now compounded by the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
While rebutting that the school feeding programme has fizzed out, the Presidential aide identified the National Home Grown School Feeding programme as a functional scheme still serving over 9.8 million children across 53,000 schools across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme serves over 9.8 million children in 53,000 schools across 36 states and the FCT.
“Over 200,000 cooks and local farmers are engaged in the programme, which is being digitised for transparency and efficiency. The Federal Government has not abandoned the programme,” he added.
Outlining facts on global food Price Index 2025, Mr Dare stated that the FAO Food Price Index (June 2025) shows global food prices remain 22% above 2019 levels.
He cited that while Countries like Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka also struggle with food price inflation, Nigeria, under President Tinubu, is actively mitigating this global shock, by rolling out the following measures such as State of Emergency on Food Security, Investment of ₦200 billion in dry-season and all-year farming as well as Targeted 500,000 farmers for input support in 2025.
He also outlined that the Tinubu led administration recently launched the National Commodity Board to regulate food price volatility, introduced transport subsidies to cut logistics costs for food.
Naira Rebound
He also criticised the publication’s reference to the nation’s currency, the Naira.
“Since hitting a low of ₦1,800/$1 in March 2024, the naira has rebounded strongly due to: Increased oil receipts and remittances, Restoration of investor confidence, Unification of the FX window, Reduction of FX backlog by over $4 billion (CBN data, May 2025)
“As of August 1, 2025, the naira traded around ₦1,525/$1, a sizable appreciation since its lowest ebb. Nigeria’s FX reserves are stabilising, and foreign portfolio inflows are picking up after major reforms in the monetary and fiscal policy.
“The Naira … has found Its level and Is strengthening, the naira has not collapsed—it has been corrected and is now recovering,” Mr Dare added.
MSME Grants
On the broader safety net, Mr Dare said three million vulnerable households have received ₦75,000 each under the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer, with plans to scale up to 15 million households. As of August 7, over 396,000 students now benefit from NELFUND tuition loans and stipends.
“The Presidential MSME Grant Scheme has disbursed funds to over 250,000 businesses in 2025, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises despite the outcry on CBN interest rates.”
CNG bus rollout and transport palliatives are reducing urban commuting costs, he added.
The Presidential aide affirmed that the Tinubu administration is responsive, acting on constructive recommendations rather than those motivated by personal ambition.
He stressed that the government welcomes suggestions such as suspending VAT on food items, reducing taxes on drugs and medical equipment, and easing the tax burden on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Mr Dare also noted that the Federal Ministry of Finance, alongside the Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, is actively working on implementing many of these measures.
“Starting January 2026, the new tax reforms will streamline over 60 overlapping taxes into fewer, manageable channels. Eliminate nuisance taxes that burden small businesses. Create exemptions for essential goods, including some food and medical items. Encourage state-federal tax harmonisation to stop multiple taxation.”
Poverty Alleviation
He listed other interventions to Include, target of 8,809 wards in Nigeria, a programme designed to reach every administrative ward, ensuring that no community is left behind in national development efforts.
The RHWDP also Focuses on key development areas which aims to serve as a coordinated intervention framework focused on poverty alleviation, food security, rural infrastructure, power supply, and job creation.
Key aspects of the RHWDP includes the identification and supporting local economic actors.
“The program will identify at least 1,000 economically active individuals in each ward and support them in enhancing local manufacturing and business operations. This will generate double-digit growth in most wards as Nigeria progresses towards its $1 trillion economy target.”
He emphasised that the President expects all Nigerians and well-wishers to join in this effort, rather than magnifying the difficulties.
“This administration does not ask for silence in the face of hardship. It asks only for fairness and a shared commitment to rebuilding this country, not just exaggerating its pain. This is what President Tinubu expects from all Nigerians and well-wishers of our country.” Mr Sunday Dare said.