The Federal Government has pushed back against criticism that the current hunger crisis in Nigeria is entirely due to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, insisting the problem stretches back before his presidency.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, made this known while responding to comments by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during his appearance on TVC. Bwala argued that hunger had existed since independence in 1960.
“The most fundamental thing is the issue he (Atiku) has raised. Does he have a valid point? He does not because the data suggests otherwise,” Bwala said.
He added that opposition politicians were only trying to “demarcate the government” to create political buzz.
“He said we are creating hunger. Is he blinded or doesn’t he hear the fact of the progress we’ve made? For example, we have increased foreign reserves. Our net export has increased. We have less dependency on imports. We have created a structure that has stabilised the economy. He won’t talk about that. He won’t talk about the Caesarean Session we provided in all the hospitals in Nigeria — how the people don’t have to suffer. He doesn’t talk about that. He doesn’t talk about the NELFUND we have provided. He should be able to speak and say whether it’s working or not,” Bwala said.
According to him, critics have continued to shift positions after being proven wrong on economic policy.
“They started first by saying our economic model is wrong. Now, after two years, we’ve been able to prove them otherwise. They are dog whistling for civil unrest,” he said.
“This rhetoric of Nigerians are hungry; we have to be able to grow out of it. Nigerians were hungry in 1960, hungry in 1980, hungry in 1990, hungry in 1999. It was between 1999 to 2003 that somebody sang ‘Nigeria Jaga Jaga’. You mean he sang in abstract?” Bwala asked.
“There has never been a time in which there is no one problem or the other as far as the Nigerian people is concerned. But judge the metrics. Judge us not by the rhetoric of Nigerians are hungry. Judge us by the dynamics of what we’re putting in place and whether it’s working.”
Meanwhile, Atiku, in a statement through his Media Adviser Paul Ibe, insisted that the hardship was worsening and the poor were being pushed to the brink.
“At this time, there are no manifest signs that this government is capable of addressing the grim issue of severe hunger staring the poor in the face after two years in power,” Atiku said.
