African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over rising food prices, saying the latest reports indicate that the President and his government have no solution to the rising cost of living in the country.
 
Meanwhile, the President’s wife, Remi Tinubu, is in Ogun State for the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme for South-West.
 
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, stated yesterday that the Tinubu government “has run out of ideas”, arguing that the government’s current approach, which tends to focus only on core inflation figures, “does not prioritise the daily struggles” of ordinary Nigerians.
 
The party called for an approach that puts food security at the heart of national security, by undertaking immediate actions that boost food production by reducing input, energy and transportation costs, improving security, establishing strategic food reserves and setting measurable targets tied ultimately to one objective: ensuring that Nigerians can afford to eat and Nigerian farmers have money in their pockets.
 
It stated: “ADC has taken note of the latest inflation figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which show that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate moderated marginally from 15.91 per cent in June to 15.43 per cent in July. We are, however, concerned that the government has continued to stubbornly focus on this statistical indicator, while ignoring the more serious indicator, which confirms that staple foods are still beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
 
“While the government celebrates the moderation in headline inflation announced by NBS, the same report tells a much more troubling story. While headline inflation slowed, food inflation accelerated sharply, rising from 17.52 per cent in June to 20.31 per cent in July on a year-on-year basis. More disturbingly, food inflation rose from 3.75 per cent in June to 5.56 per cent in July on a month-on-month basis. This means that the prices of food items like rice, tomatoes, onions, pepper, beef, eggs, garri and other basic foods in Nigeria increased by 48 per cent in July alone.”
 
The opposition party argued that the report supports an earlier one by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) that 35 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity, with millions of children facing malnutrition. 
  
“That is the economy Nigerians are experiencing under Tinubu’s APC. We, therefore, find it most insensitive that the government continues to make claims about economic progress while Nigerians are starving under its watch. The Tinubu administration must answer a very simple question: If the government’s economic reforms are working, why are Nigerians still finding it increasingly difficult to afford food?
 
“At some point, a responsible government must be willing to admit that it has reached the limits of its capacity and even its best approach has not yielded the desired results.”
  
ADC believes the Tinubu government has done its best within the limits of its chosen approach. 

On the food bank launch by Mrs Tinubu, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, stated that the programme would commence at Makun, Sagamu, with governors and first ladies from across the country, alongside other major stakeholders, expected to witness the launch.
 
Akinmade added: “The launch will feature the distribution of food items to support vulnerable households in the state, as part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian Government’s social intervention initiatives.”
 
The initiative, under the Social Investment component of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), aims to “go beyond emergency food distribution by establishing community-based systems that provide regular access to safe and nutritious food for people most in need.”
 
On its part, the Federal Government said: “The programme initially targets 500,000 vulnerable households nationwide in its first year, with emphasis on improving access to nutritious food, reducing hunger and strengthening community resilience.
 
“It also seeks to promote collaboration among government institutions, communities, development partners and other stakeholders in developing a more sustainable response to food insecurity.”

The First Lady’s visit also featured the commissioning of the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate and the Gateway Medical Centre of Excellence, all in Ogun State.

Governor Abiodun said the National Community Food Bank Programme would go beyond providing food to vulnerable Nigerians by creating sustainable markets for farmers and strengthening the country’s agricultural value chain.

Speaking at the launch of the South-West National Community Food Bank Programme at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, the governor commended Mrs Tinubu for championing the initiative, describing it as a practical demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable families and addressing food insecurity.

He said the programme had evolved beyond conventional food distribution by creating a link between agricultural production and social intervention.