The Presidency has criticised Daily Trust newspaper over a recent editorial which it described as “exaggerated, unbalanced, and misleading,” accusing the paper of painting a distorted picture of Nigeria as a nation overwhelmed by hunger and hardship.
In a strongly worded press statement released on Wednesday, August 7, 2025, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Mr. Sunday Dare, accused Daily Trust of abandoning fact-based journalism in favour of selective pessimism and misinformation.
“The Tinubu administration believes in the media’s right to critique, but it must be rooted in truth, not distortion,” the statement read. “The Daily Trust has misrepresented government policy on multiple occasions, and has had to apologise publicly at least twice for such missteps.”
Responding directly to claims that Nigerians are starving, the Presidency clarified that while economic hardship is real for some citizens, the government has rolled out extensive interventions to mitigate the impact.
According to Dare, the much-cited figure of “33 million Nigerians at risk of hunger” was not a current assessment, but a worst-case projection for the June–August 2025 lean season, as published in the Cadre Harmonisé Food and Nutrition Insecurity Analysis—a joint effort by the Federal Government, FAO, WFP, and UNICEF.
“In preparation, the government has released 42,000 metric tons of grains from strategic reserves, procured an additional 117,000 metric tons, and activated the Food Security Council,” the statement said. “Emergency nutrition support has also been scaled up in states including Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Sokoto.”
“Naira Not Worthless” — Presidency Counters Media Claim
Addressing economic concerns raised in the editorial, the Presidency rejected the label of a “worthless naira,” describing the currency’s recent gains as evidence of policy success.
“The naira, which hit a low of ₦1,800/$1 in March 2024, has since rebounded to around ₦1,525/$1 as of August 1, 2025,” the statement noted. “This was driven by increased oil receipts, restored investor confidence, and the clearing of a $4 billion FX backlog.”
Tax and Social Protection Reforms Underway
The Presidency also outlined new fiscal measures set to commence in January 2026, including a major overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system. These reforms, according to Dare, aim to streamline over 60 taxes into manageable channels, eliminate nuisance levies, and provide exemptions for essential goods.
Social protection efforts are also being expanded, the statement added. The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme currently serves over 9.8 million children in 53,000 schools, while over 396,000 students now benefit from tuition support under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Additionally, three million households have received ₦75,000 each through the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme.
Food Inflation a Global Problem – FG
The government argued that rising food prices are a global issue, citing the FAO Food Price Index which shows that prices remain 22% above 2019 levels. Countries like Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are also experiencing similar inflationary trends, the statement noted.
To address this locally, Nigeria has declared a State of Emergency on Food Security, invested ₦200 billion in dry and all-year farming, supported 500,000 farmers, and launched the National Commodity Board to tackle food price volatility.
Hope Lies in Action, Not Alarmism
Reiterating President Tinubu’s commitment to economic recovery, the statement pointed to several ongoing grassroots initiatives, including the recently launched Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP). The programme targets all 8,809 political wards in Nigeria with interventions in poverty alleviation, rural infrastructure, food security, and job creation.
“The President is not asking for silence in the face of hardship,” Dare said. “He is asking for fairness, and a shared commitment to rebuilding—not just amplifying the pain.”
The statement concluded with a message of unity and resolve:
“Yes, Nigerians are belt-tightening, but Nigeria is healing. The economic surgery is not painless, but it is already yielding green shoots.”