The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the federal government of weaponising hunger and destroying local food production.
The party described the current falling food prices as manipulation, saying they’re artificial and deliberately created by the government for political gains.
The ADC, in a statement on Monday by its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, noted that bandits and terrorists have chased many local farmers away from their farms, especially in northern Nigeria.
It added that many others cannot afford the high cost of critical farm inputs like fertiliser, a development the party said has crippled local food production and destroyed the rural economy.
The ADC accused the government of being dishonest with its claim of increased local food production, saying that the administration is only releasing imported food, mainly rice and other grains it hoarded over time.
The party questioned the rationale behind hoarding imported food while millions go hungry, calling it a deliberate weaponisation of poverty for political gains.
The ADC called for a complete overhaul of the country’s agricultural strategy, demanding policies that protect local production, promote food price stability, protect the lives of farmers, and pursue long-term food sovereignty.
The party said it’s concerning that the federal government has chosen to create a misleading narrative around the “so-called drop in food prices”.
Continuing, the party said, “Contrary to what is being celebrated in official circles, the reality on the ground, as confirmed by the voices of struggling farmers and families across the country, is that the Tinubu government is manipulating food prices and weaponising hunger for political gains.
“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.
“And while that may offer momentary relief in food prices, it has, and will, come at the heavy cost of sabotaging local farmers who can no longer compete due to soaring input costs, especially fertilisers, and worsening insecurity.
“Additionally, we find it particularly strange and dishonest for the government to claim that its policies are encouraging domestic production at a time when many farmers have been displaced by bandits, and those who remain are barely able to afford the cost of planting.
“How can production be increasing when the rural economy is under siege by bandits, and the costs of planting are now beyond the reach of the average farmer?
This is propaganda. What we are witnessing is a deliberate manipulation of food prices for short-term political gain, designed to create the illusion of economic progress while citizens continue to suffer.”
Stating that any current drop in food prices is temporary and unsustainable, the ADC said it’s a panic measure, rather than a strategy and deliberate planning.
“We also take note of the government’s claim that it has not released imported food into the market.
“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?
“What sort of administration stores food in warehouses during a hunger crisis?
“The ADC condemns in the strongest terms the weaponisation of hunger and calls for a complete overhaul of the current agricultural approach. We must protect local producers, address rural insecurity, and invest in long-term food sovereignty, not temporary political optics.”
The party insisted that the Nigerian people deserve truth and food, not manipulation and a false narrative of renewed hope.
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