Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has taken a swipe at the administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing it of turning hunger into a political tool through the distribution of food items and relief materials in Northern Nigeria, insisting that rice handouts cannot substitute for effective governance.
In a statement released on Friday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku criticised the recent rollout of 100 trucks of rice alongside ₦1.2 billion in palliatives to northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The programme was officially launched by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.
He characterised the initiative as “not an act of compassion, but a calculated political performance staged on the altar of mass hardship.”
“What Nigerians are witnessing today is the tragic normalisation of poverty under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement read.
“Families can no longer afford basic meals, inflation has ravaged household incomes, and millions are being pushed daily into extreme deprivation.”
Atiku argued that the government has failed to tackle the fundamental drivers of economic distress, opting instead for what he described as “optics,” alleging that food distribution is being carried out “in carefully choreographed ceremonies while the underlying suffering deepens.”
The statement also claimed that since 2023, agricultural productivity in Northern Nigeria has declined due to insecurity and ineffective policies, forcing many farmers off their land and disrupting food supply systems.
“Ironically, the same government and its promoters now seek to exploit the resulting hardship by turning food into a campaign tool,” Shaibu said. “What the North truly needs is genuine, sustainable food security policies, not campaign lunch packs wrapped in party insignia.”
The former vice president further pointed to previous food distribution efforts involving the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu, during Ramadan in 2025, describing the move as an early indication of what he now considers a broader pattern.
“What was then an experiment has now evolved into a full-blown policy of optics over substance,” the statement added.
Atiku cautioned that continued reliance on palliatives could erode democratic values, warning that such measures may weaken citizens’ independence.
“Let it be said without equivocation: Nigerians are not beggars to be pacified with periodic handouts while their livelihoods collapse,” he stated.
He emphasised that the North’s pressing challenges—ranging from rising food costs to unemployment and insecurity—require “bold, coherent, and people-centred economic policies,” rather than temporary interventions.
“These are not problems that can be solved with trucks of rice; they require bold, coherent, and people-centred economic policies,” he said. “A responsible government does not turn hunger into a public relations strategy.”
