President Bola Tinubu’s government has launched a blistering attack on the Daily Trust newspaper over what it describes as an “exaggerated and unbalanced” editorial claiming Nigerians are overwhelmed by hunger and hardship.
In a strongly worded rebuttal, presidential spokesman Sunday Dare said the media must stop “distorting facts” and spreading “alarmist narratives,” warning that such coverage only deepens despair and undermines genuine progress.
“To suggest that ‘Nigerians are hungry’ without acknowledging the government’s interventions perpetuates despair instead of empowering citizens with the truth,” Dare said, insisting the administration is actively tackling economic challenges with bold reforms.
He dismissed claims that the naira is “worthless” as “false and misleading,” pointing to a rebound from ₦1,800/$1 in March to around ₦1,525/$1 in August, thanks to “increased oil receipts, FX reforms and restored investor confidence.”
On social welfare, he revealed that over three million families have received ₦75,000 each in direct support, nearly 400,000 students are benefiting from tuition loans, and 9.8 million schoolchildren are fed daily through a digitised national programme employing 200,000 cooks and farmers.
Addressing inflation fears, Dare noted that food price pressures are global, with over 1.4 billion people affected worldwide, and said Nigeria has rolled out ₦200 billion in farming investments, launched a National Commodity Board, and introduced transport subsidies to curb costs.
“Nigeria is healing,” he concluded, urging unity over division and announcing a ward-level development strategy aimed at lifting thousands out of poverty, adding: “This administration does not ask for silence in the face of hardship, it asks for fairness and a shared commitment to rebuilding this country.”
