….debunks newspaper editorial on hunger, economy
The Presidency has faulted a national daily on its recent editorial, accusing the newspaper of distorting Nigeria’s economic situation and ignoring government efforts to mitigate hardship across the country.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, on Thursday in Abuja, described the said editorial as exaggerated and misleading.
Dare said while the Presidency welcomes criticism from the media, such critiques must be grounded in truth, context, and national responsibility, not sensational narratives designed to inflame public sentiment.
“The Tinubu administration respects the right of the media to hold government accountable. But that right comes with the duty to present facts fairly.
“Responsible journalism should empower citizens with accurate information, not deepen despair through distortion,” the statement said.
The Presidency noted that the widely cited figure in the editorial, that 33 million Nigerians, including 16 million children, are at risk of hunger, was a worst-case scenario projected by the Cadre Harmonisé Food Security Analysis, not a current reality.
Dare added that the report, jointly produced by the Federal Government, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), was based on the assumption of no government intervention.
“In reality, the government has taken bold steps to prevent that projection from materialising,” the statement said, listing measures such as: The release of over 42,000 metric tons of grains from the national reserve; Procurement of an additional 117,000 metric tons; Activation of the Presidential Food Security Council; and Emergency nutrition support in high-risk states including Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Sokoto, Bauchi, and Katsina.
On the economy, the Presidency criticised the editorial’s characterisation of the naira as “worthless,” describing it as “misleading and inaccurate.”
It noted that the national currency, after hitting a low of N1,800/$1 in March 2024, has rebounded to N1,525/$1 as of August 2025.
“This recovery has been driven by reforms that restored investor confidence, unified the foreign exchange market, increased oil receipts, boosted remittances, and cleared over $4 billion in forex backlogs,” the statement added.
The Presidency further pointed to sustained social protection programmes that continue to cushion the effects of reforms and rising global food prices: “3 million vulnerable households have received N75,000 each under the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer; 396,000 students now benefit from tuition fee support through Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND); Over 250,000 MSMEs have received grants in 2025.
“The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme continues to serve 9.8 million pupils across 53,000 schools, employing 200,000 local cooks and supporting thousands of smallholder farmers.”
The statement also spotlighted the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP) recently approved by President Tinubu and endorsed by the National Economic Council (NEC).
It targets all 8,809 wards in Nigeria with tailored grassroots interventions in agriculture, rural infrastructure, electricity access, job creation, and poverty alleviation.
According to Dare, the programme aims to empower at least 1,000 active individuals per ward, enhance local manufacturing, and accelerate Nigeria’s path to a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
While acknowledging that hardship remains a reality for many citizens, the Presidency urged the media to maintain balance and responsibility in their reporting, especially during a period of ongoing economic transition.
“Nigeria is healing. The pain of reform is real, but so is the progress. Hope is not just a slogan, it is visible in the stabilising naira, in millions of families receiving support, in students staying in school, and in farmers returning to the fields.”
“This administration does not demand silence in the face of hardship. It only asks for fairness and a shared commitment to rebuilding, not just amplifying despair,” the statement said.
