The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Federal Government of manipulating food prices and weaponizing hunger for political gains, describing the administration’s claim of improved local food production as dishonest and misleading.

The party said while the government celebrates what it calls a drop in food prices, millions of Nigerians continue to battle hunger and hardship caused by policies that weaken local production and force farmers off their lands.

In a statement by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, the ADC said the Federal Government’s economic narrative was deceptive and intended to create an illusion of progress while poverty deepens across the country.

“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is deeply concerned by the Federal Government’s misleading narrative around the so-called drop in food prices. 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 weaponizing hunger for political gains,” Abdullahi said.

The party maintained that the reported decline in the prices of some food items was artificial, blaming it on import waivers that have flooded the market with cheap foreign goods. It added that such development neither reflected sound economic policy nor proved an increase in domestic production.

“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,” Abdullahi stated.

The ADC described the government’s claim that its agricultural policies were boosting local production as ‘dishonest,’ stressing that many farmers, particularly in the northern region, had been displaced by banditry or priced out by rising input costs.

“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?” the party queried.

The ADC also dismissed government denials of releasing imported food into the market, describing such claims as ‘false and cynical.’

“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 said.

The party warned that the temporary drop in food prices was unsustainable, driven more by panic than by a deliberate economic strategy, and accused the administration of engaging in propaganda to deceive the public.

“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. Any current drop in price is temporary, unsustainable, and driven by panic, not strategy and deliberate planning,” the party maintained.

Calling for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s agricultural framework, the ADC urged the Federal Government to adopt policies that protect local farmers, stabilise prices, and ensure food security.

“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,” Abdullahi stated.

The party appealed to the government to place citizens’ welfare above politics, insisting that Nigerians deserve truth and affordable food rather than manipulation.

“The Nigerian people deserve truth and food, not manipulation and a false narrative of renewed hope,” the ADC declared. (Vanguard)