The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Federal Government of spreading what it described as a “misleading narrative” about a supposed drop in food prices, saying the situation on the ground tells a different story.
In a statement released on Monday, October 27, by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, via his official X handle, the ADC alleged that the Tinubu administration was “manipulating food prices and weaponising hunger for political gain.”
According to Abdullahi, “Contrary to what is being celebrated in official circles, the reality on the ground, as confirmed by struggling farmers and families across the country, is that the Tinubu government is manipulating food prices and weaponising hunger for political gain.”
He added that the reported decline in food prices was not a result of sound policies or improved local production but rather the consequence of temporary import waivers.
Abdullahi said, “The reported drop in the prices of some food items is artificial and a result of import waivers that have flooded the market with cheap foreign food. It is neither evidence of sound policy nor proof of increased local production.”
READ ALSO: ‘Food Prices Have Dropped Nationwide,’ Says Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari
The ADC spokesperson criticised what he described as the government’s “dishonest claim” of encouraging domestic output despite widespread insecurity and high farming costs.
He asked, “How can production be increasing when the rural economy is under siege, and the cost of planting is now beyond the reach of the average farmer?”
Abdullahi described the government’s position as “propaganda,” saying it was “a deliberate manipulation of food prices for short-term political gain, designed to create the illusion of economic progress while citizens continue to suffer.”
He further questioned the government’s claim that no imported food had been released into the market.
Abdullahi said, “If we are to even momentarily entertain this falsehood, it begs an even more damning question: why is the government hoarding food while the people go hungry?”
Calling for reform, Abdullahi stated that “the ADC condemns, in the strongest terms, the weaponisation of hunger” and urged the Federal Government to “protect local producers, address rural insecurity, and invest in long-term food sovereignty, not temporary political optics.”