President Bola Tinubu has blamed opposition politicians for the hunger and poverty confronting Nigerians, insisting that his administration is working to address the challenges despite the UNDP’s reported figure of 133 million Nigerians living in poverty.
Tinubu made the remarks on Saturday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off rally at Ranchers Bees Stadium in Kaduna State, as the party began mobilising support for his re-election bid in 2027.
The President accused his political opponents of creating the economic difficulties they now criticise his government for.
“I have an argument. I hear my opponent talking about hunger, poverty. Who created it? They did! They created the hunger, they created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it,” Tinubu said.
However, figures from hunger and food-security assessments show that millions of Nigerians continued to face severe food-related challenges during his administration.
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) report put Nigeria’s hunger score at 29.2 in 2020, 28.3 in 2021 and 27.3 in 2022, with the country classified in the serious hunger category in the respective reports.
The situation deteriorated in subsequent years. The World Food Programme (WFP) projected that 31.5 million Nigerians would face acute food insecurity in 2024, when Tinubu was in his second year in office.
By 2025, about 33.1 million people were projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season, according to food-security assessments under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system.
The IPC provides a common framework for analysing and classifying the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in its 2025 report, said that over 133 million people lived in multidimensional poverty, a figure it said had worsened under Tinubu’s administration.
At the Kaduna rally, Tinubu also defended his administration’s record on salary payments, commending state governors for their performance.
“We pay salaries regularly. Our governors are working. I am proud of them. They are developing,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to Kaduna residents for supporting him during the previous presidential election, crediting their votes with contributing to his victory.
“You gave me joy to remember the victory you gave me to become president. I come again to thank you,” the President said.
Tinubu urged the electorate to support his second-term ambition, saying he wanted to sustain his promise of prosperity, continuity, progress and development.
He also addressed Nigerian children at the rally, referring to his administration’s commitment to the country’s future. However, the available transcription ends before he completes the statement.
The rally at Ranchers Bees Stadium, also known as Kaduna Township Stadium, marked the formal launch of the APC’s presidential campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
