Tinubu’s Food Security Reforms: A Reactionary Gimmick Driven by Fear, Not Empathy – ADC Fires Back.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

In what appears to be a desperate scramble to douse public anger amid Nigeria’s worsening food crisis, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent pronouncements on food security have been described by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as not only belated but driven by sheer fear of public backlash not empathy for the Nigerian people. While the President now talks tough about declaring food as a national emergency, the ADC has boldly called out this so-called reform agenda as a reactionary measure borne out of panic and not patriotism.

Nigerians are not fooled by press statements or cosmetic committee formations. They are HUNGRY. They are ANGRY. And above all, they are tired of being treated as STATISTICAL FOOTNOTES while the ruling elite feed fat on their agony. The skyrocketing prices of basic food items (garri, rice, beans, yam and even sachet water) have reached astronomical levels under this administration. This is not an ISOLATED MARKET DISTORTION. This is ECONOMIC SABOTAGE by NEGLECT.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), inflation in Nigeria climbed to 34.1% in May 2025, with food inflation surpassing 40%, a devastating record. Over 31 million Nigerians, according to the United Nations World Food Programme, face acute food insecurity. These are not abstract numbers. They are your neighbors, family members and colleagues skipping meals or relying on charity to stay alive.

Yet, for almost two years since assuming office, Tinubu failed to prioritize agriculture beyond policy papers. His administration’s obsession with neoliberal economic theories (from fuel subsidy removal to currency floating) has compounded rural poverty, destroyed purchasing power and dismantled any existing structure for agricultural resilience. Now, when the streets begin to simmer with rage and the organized labour threatens more strikes, the President suddenly ‘discovers’ food security?

The African Democratic Congress is right in calling out the President’s food emergency declaration as fear-induced. The ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, minced no words recently:

“A government that ignored farmers, refused to support rural infrastructure and watched as bandits chased thousands of agricultural workers from their land cannot now pretend to care about food security. Tinubu is reacting to fear, not responding with empathy.”

This statement is not mere political rhetoric. The reality on the ground confirms that Tinubu’s food reforms are cosmetic, reactive and fundamentally disconnected from the lived realities of Nigerians.

SECURITY and AGRICULTURE: A Broken Link
Perhaps the greatest irony of Tinubu’s food security posturing is his failure to secure the rural economy. More than 12 million Nigerians have been displaced since 2009 due to insecurity, especially in the Middle Belt and northern regions, the country’s agricultural backbone. Bandits, terrorists and herders operate with impunity while farmers abandon their lands.

Dr. Akinyemi Olabode, an agricultural economist at the University of Ibadan, recently noted:

“You cannot talk about food security in a war zone. The real food security policy should begin with guaranteeing physical safety for farmers. Until then, these reforms are academic exercises.”

Rather than increase investment in agro-policing or community farming protection schemes, Tinubu’s government has consistently slashed the budgets of the Ministry of Agriculture while spending billions on luxury foreign trips, meaningless jamborees and inflated solar panels for Aso Rock.

Where Was Tinubu When Farmers Cried?
When farmers across Benue, Zamfara, Kaduna, Plateau and parts of Delta State cried out over the loss of farmland and attacks by armed herdsmen, where was Tinubu? When rice and maize associations demanded subsidized inputs and protection against imported produce, where was his empathy?

Instead of responding to the agricultural sector with strategic foresight, the President continued to parade imported technocrats with zero practical knowledge of local food systems. Policies like the so-called “GREEN IMPERATIVE” and MECHANIZED AGRICULTURE BLUEPRINT were mere buzzwords without budgetary backing. The Anchor Borrowers Programme, which had shown some promise under past administrations, was left in bureaucratic limbo.

ADC’s Bold Alternative Vision.
In contrast, the ADC has consistently championed a grassroots-centered approach to food security. The party advocates for a Food Sovereignty Act that would protect local farmers, enhance state-level ago-cooperatives and legalize land ownership rights for smallholders. Rather than depend on private profiteers or foreign donors, the ADC calls for direct community budgeting and a return to Nigeria’s rich agrarian heritage.

“We must move beyond press releases and fight food poverty like we fought Ebola or COVID-19,” says ADC spokesperson, Hon. Adaobi Onyekachi. “Food is not just an economic issue; it is a national survival issue. A hungry population cannot be loyal, peaceful or productive.”

The ADC further accused Tinubu of failing to engage agricultural unions, rural communities or academic think tanks before hastily declaring a state of emergency. This top-down leadership style, the party argues, has always resulted in policy failure; from the fuel subsidy chaos to the botched student loan scheme.

Lip Service vs. Real Policy.
In practical terms, Tinubu’s food policy lacks substance. There is no clear IMPLEMENTATION ROAD MAP. No RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE BUDGET. No POST-HARVEST PRESERVATION or LOGISTICS plan. No MONITORING AGENCY with actual teeth. Declaring emergency is one thing. Translating it into sustainable food pricing, availability and affordability is quite another.

Moreover, the government’s continued failure to regulate the activities of middlemen and commodity hoarders remains a key driver of food inflation. Without breaking the monopolies of urban market cartels and empowering producer cooperatives, farmers will remain poor and food prices will keep soaring.

Public Sentiment: Tinubu’s Growing Disconnect.
Public opinion is rapidly shifting against the President. Many Nigerians now see him as arrogant, disconnected and elitist. The ADC’s rebuke taps into this public frustration. It reflects a growing consensus that Tinubu’s administration is out of touch with grassroots pain and more concerned about international image than national dignity.

“We voted for renewed hope. What we got is renewed hunger,” says Ngozi Ede, a Lagos market trader. “Every day my capital shrinks, my customers cry and Tinubu is still flying abroad talking about investment. If we die of hunger, who will invest in a graveyard?”

In Retrospect: Nigeria Needs Empathy, Not Emergency Rhetoric.
The time has passed for performative governance. Nigerians demand real empathy, not emergency declarations rooted in fear of revolt. Food security cannot be achieved through fear-driven policy announcements. It requires bold, inclusive and honest leadership qualities sorely missing in the Tinubu presidency.

The ADC has rightly exposed the hollow nature of this food security charade. Nigeria deserves a government that does not wait for protests to feed its people. A government that leads with compassion, not coercion. One that plans ahead, listens to its farmers, respects its poor and sees every hungry child as a national failure, not a political liability.

Tinubu may have declared food a national emergency, but Nigerians already know; HUNGER became a national tragedy the day leadership forgot its PEOPLE.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com