By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
STARK CLAIMS of widespread hunger and hopelessness in Daily Trust’s latest editorial have been firmly rejected by the Presidency, which described the report as distorted and alarmist.
According to a statement released by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, the publication failed to reflect the scope of current interventions and instead misrepresented official data.
The administration reaffirmed its respect for media freedom but cautioned that critique must be rooted in fact, not “selective pessimism.”
It noted that Daily Trust had previously apologised for inaccurate portrayals of policy issues and accused the paper of continuing that trend in its recent editorial.
Clarifying the referenced projection that 33 million Nigerians might face hunger in 2025, the government stated that the figure was derived from the Cadre Harmonisé Food and Nutrition Insecurity Analysis – jointly produced by Nigerian authorities, FAO, WFP, and UNICEF – not a UNICEF-specific report.
The figure, it added, was a worst-case estimate assuming no interventions. Measures already underway include grain releases, additional procurement, and nutrition support in several states.
On economic indicators, the statement dismissed descriptions of the naira as “worthless.”
It pointed to recent gains from ₦1,800/$1 in March to ₦1,525/$1 in August, driven by increased oil receipts, FX reforms, and renewed investor confidence. It described the current trajectory as a recovery, not a collapse.
The government also reaffirmed the continuation of its social protection programmes, adding that over 9.8 million pupils currently benefit from the school feeding initiative, while three million households have received direct cash support.
Reforms in taxation, effective from January 2026, will ease burdens on small businesses and exempt essential goods, the federal government affirms.
The government also said that grassroots development is also being prioritised through the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, designed to reach all 8,809 wards nationwide with targeted economic support as part of a long-term plan to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
