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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over worsening hunger and economic hardship across the country.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the recent warning by the United Nations that about 35 million Nigerians could face acute hunger between June and August 2026 showed the severity of the situation.
Atiku described the development as a humanitarian crisis, saying millions of Nigerians were battling rising food prices, inflation and declining purchasing power.
“This is not just another alarming statistic. This is a human tragedy of terrifying proportions,” Atiku said.
He blamed the situation on what he described as poorly implemented economic policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the management of foreign exchange reforms.
According to Atiku, the removal of fuel subsidy without adequate social support measures triggered a severe cost-of-living crisis, while the handling of exchange rate reforms weakened the naira, increased import costs and affected businesses.
“The abrupt and poorly sequenced removal of fuel subsidy without credible social buffers triggered the worst cost-of-living crisis in recent memory.
“The chaotic mishandling of exchange rate policy sent the naira into a punishing tailspin, wiping out purchasing power, inflating import costs and crippling businesses,” he stated.
The former vice president also linked the food crisis to insecurity in farming communities in states including Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, Katsina, Sokoto and Borno, noting that many farmers could no longer safely access their farmlands.
He accused the Nigerian Government of failing to provide effective economic coordination and adequate social protection for vulnerable Nigerians.
Atiku called on the government to declare a national food security emergency and introduce urgent support measures for farmers, including subsidised farm inputs, improved access to credit, protection for farming communities and emergency support for vulnerable households.
He further warned that worsening hunger could lead to increased insecurity and social unrest if urgent measures were not taken.
“We need urgent support for farmers through subsidised inputs, improved access to credit, protection of farming corridors, strategic food reserve deployment and emergency household support for the most vulnerable,” he said.
“A hungry nation is an angry nation, and no government should toy with that reality,” he added.
