Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the latest United Nations warning that nearly 35 million Nigerians could face acute hunger between June and August 2026 as a damning indictment of the Tinubu administration, saying the country has slipped from economic hardship into a full-scale humanitarian crisis.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, shortly after political engagements in Yola, Atiku said the grim projection should deeply trouble the nation’s conscience, insisting that no responsible government should preside over such widespread suffering while claiming progress.

“This is not just another disturbing statistic for television debates or newspaper headlines. It is a human tragedy of frightening proportions,” he said.

“Thirty-five million Nigerians — more than the population of many African nations — are now at risk of severe hunger. These are mothers skipping meals to feed their children, fathers overwhelmed by hardship, young people losing faith in the future, and millions of vulnerable families sinking deeper into despair every day.”

The former vice president argued that the crisis was not caused by natural disasters or war, but by policy failures and poor governance.

“This is not famine caused by drought or natural catastrophe. It is man-made suffering — the direct consequence of economic mismanagement, policy recklessness and leadership failure,” he stated.

Atiku said the Tinubu administration came to power with promises of “Renewed Hope” but has instead delivered “renewed hunger, renewed inflation, renewed insecurity and renewed despair.”

According to him, the removal of fuel subsidy without adequate social protection measures triggered one of the worst cost-of-living crises in Nigeria’s recent history.

“The abrupt and poorly managed removal of fuel subsidy without credible social buffers sent transport fares soaring overnight, increased food distribution costs and turned basic necessities into luxuries,” he said.

He also criticised the government’s exchange rate reforms, saying the policies weakened the naira, eroded purchasing power, inflated import costs and crippled businesses across the country.

“Food inflation has become brutal. Rice, garri, beans, yam and bread — once affordable staples for ordinary Nigerians — are now beyond the reach of millions,” he added.

Atiku linked the worsening food crisis to insecurity in farming communities across states including Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, Katsina, Sokoto and Borno.

“How can a nation feed itself when farmers cannot safely return to their farms?” he queried.

“For years, farmers across Nigeria’s agricultural belt have endured banditry, terrorism, mass abductions, violent land invasions and government inaction.”

He further blamed the situation on what he described as excessive borrowing, wasteful public spending, weak social protection systems, declining investor confidence and the absence of coherent economic coordination.

“The tragedy is even more painful because Nigeria has everything required to feed itself — fertile land, favourable climate, energetic youths and entrepreneurial strength. What is lacking today is competent leadership,” he said.

The former vice president warned that hunger poses a serious threat to national stability.

“Hunger fuels crime, deepens insecurity, destroys productivity, fractures families and destabilises nations. A hungry nation is an angry nation, and no government should ignore that reality,” he warned.

Atiku urged the Federal Government to immediately declare a national food security emergency and move beyond what he called token responses.

“We need urgent intervention through subsidised farm inputs, improved access to credit, protection for farming communities, strategic food reserve deployment, price stabilisation measures and emergency support for vulnerable households,” he said.

“Nigeria cannot continue to govern hunger with speeches. No amount of propaganda can fill an empty stomach.”

He added that the worsening economic and humanitarian situation underscores the urgent need for “experienced, disciplined, compassionate and competent leadership” capable of rescuing Nigeria from what he described as one of the gravest governance failures in the country’s democratic history.