‘Millions Are Starving Under Tinubu’ – ADC Raises Alarm as UN Warns 17 Million Nigerians Face Acute Hunger

• The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of creating a humanitarian crisis after a UN report revealed that over 17 million Nigerians are facing acute hunger across conflict-affected northern states.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of driving millions of Nigerians into hunger through what it described as failed policies, poor governance and misplaced priorities.

The opposition party was reacting to a recent report by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which warned that more than 17 million Nigerians across nine conflict-affected northern states are facing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the humanitarian crisis was not caused by natural disasters but by government failures, including worsening insecurity, the inability to protect farmers, and the rising cost of living.

According to the party, the WFP report confirms what many Nigerians have been experiencing, noting that food insecurity has worsened significantly, with over three million people in Borno State alone facing acute hunger, while the combined figure for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe has risen to 6.2 million people.

The ADC stressed that the findings came from the world’s leading humanitarian agency and not from political opponents.

“The hunger confronting millions of Nigerians today is not a natural disaster. It is an APC-inspired, government-created humanitarian disaster,” the statement read.

The party argued that attacks on farming communities, mass displacement, restricted humanitarian access and declining support for vulnerable citizens have all contributed to the worsening crisis.

It also criticised the Tinubu administration for allegedly ignoring the suffering of ordinary Nigerians while government officials continue to live lavishly.

“For three years, Nigerians have been told that the pain is temporary. The WFP has now confirmed what Nigerians have been saying all along — insecurity is spreading, agricultural production is declining, food inflation is worsening and millions are being pushed deeper into hunger,” the party stated.

The ADC further maintained that the country’s food crisis cannot be solved through palliatives or speeches, insisting that Nigeria needs a comprehensive national food security strategy.

As part of its proposed solutions, the party pledged that an ADC-led government would prioritise food security as a national security issue, revive the country’s 264 abandoned dams to support irrigation, invest in mechanised agriculture, improve storage facilities, expand market access for farmers, and strengthen strategic grain reserves to boost food production and stabilise prices.

The statement comes amid growing concerns over rising food inflation and worsening living conditions across the country, with humanitarian organisations continuing to warn about the impact of insecurity and economic hardship on millions of Nigerians.