The hunger in Nigeria is neither a new menace nor a new phenomenon. Hunger preceded the Tinubu administration. Whether hunger in Nigeria has become worse under him is debatable. However, the fact is: hunger is ubiquitous. Everyone knows there is hunger in Nigeria. Unborn and newly born babies in Nigeria, if they had the ability to express themselves, would attest to this reality.
Hunger is real in Nigeria. It is biting. It does not only bite; it bites hard, and harder still. It is ubiquitous. It is sickening. It is dehumanizing. In extreme cases, it is killing.
A few days ago, Bayo Onanuga downplayed the role of hunger in the destruction and dehumanization of ordinary Nigerians. I learnt Onanuga is the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
A special adviser like this will surely tell a president of a hungry country like Nigeria that a coastal road is more important than food production because, to him, the masses are not hungry. What they are in need of is concrete roads.
The quality of reasoning of those around a leader will most likely determine the quality of policy outcomes under such a regime. Onanuga is a textbook case of why the Tinubu administration is directionless and always misses the point.
A leader can surround themselves with people who feed them lies and still succeed. With people like Onanuga, President Tinubu may think all is well with Nigeria and Nigerians, since most leaders are sheltered in cocoons of comfort that shield them from the everyday reality of the common man on the street. That is why they have advisers and special advisers, who should be more in touch with everyday reality.
Onanuga is out of touch—he is not in touch with reality. The reality is the pervasively severe and emaciating hunger in the land. He should not be in that office. If he is in touch with reality, it means his specialty as a special adviser is the distortion of reality to hoodwink his paymaster into thinking all is well when all is bad. This is dangerously misleading.
In his defence of the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu, Onanuga cited a road in Ijebu Ode in Ogun State and another in Aja, Lagos State, where he lives, as proof of improved infrastructure. Based on these two roads, on which he had a smooth ride, while one thousand and one other roads are in shambles—crying for repair—he concluded that hunger in Nigeria is exaggerated because he does not personally see the level of hunger often highlighted in public discourse. To quote him verbatim: “I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about.”
Onanuga is either blind to reality or deliberately choosing to deceive himself, thinking he is defending a government whose economic policies have produced hellish outcomes.
After watching him speak on Arise Television on Tuesday, we read that the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Abuja launched the 2026 Food Aid Project for hungry Nigerians, especially those affected by displacement, insecurity, and other humanitarian challenges.
Though Onanuga, without being asked, claims to be a Nigerian. But the hunger in the land, which he could not see, was seen by foreigners who strongly believe Nigerians are hungry people who need food more than anything else to survive.
In case Onanuga is not aware, the project to feed Nigerians was launched in Damaturu, Yobe State, through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), in partnership with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)—an agency of the federal government under which Onanuga is a special adviser. Is he not aware that the food scheme launched by the Saudi humanitarian aid is worth $1.5 million (over two billion naira)?
Saudi Arabia is not alone. It is common knowledge across the globe that there is a food crisis in Nigeria—Nigerians are hungry. Why a Special Adviser to Tinubu fails to have this basic information is disturbing. Two months ago, in April 2026, before Saudi Arabia, Türkiye (formerly Turkey) handed over 36 tons of food aid to people in need in Nigeria through its Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), in support of ongoing humanitarian efforts in the country.
“Nigeria, other African countries get €557 million as EU announces €1.9 billion humanitarian aid budget for 2026.” Didn’t Onanuga read this on the official website of the European Union? If Onanuga is too preoccupied with inanities and does not have time to read about, let alone understand, the level of hunger in the country, those close to him should inform him that a report by Reuters last year read: “Hunger grows in Nigeria as aid cuts reduce food supplies.”
In that report, it was estimated that 3.5 million children across Nigeria required treatment for severe acute malnutrition. If this huge number of children suffer severe malnutrition, the figure would be more damning if the focus had been on adult Nigerians battling hunger.
Is Onanuga aware that even Ukraine—a country at war—finds the severe hunger in Nigeria disturbing? Two years ago, Ukraine provided 25,000 tons of wheat to help provide emergency food assistance to 1.3 million crisis-affected people in northeast Nigeria.
I suspect because Ukraine, at the same time, needed to focus on the war with Russia, it probably could not pay for the shipment of the food it provided for hungry Nigerians. Other countries reported came in to assist. Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom collaboratively helped cover the costs of transporting the wheat from Ukraine to Nigeria and its distribution to the families who so urgently need it.
Could it be that Onanuga is unaware of all this because these food aids were not distributed in Aja and Lagos, where he lives? But even in Lagos, Lagosians are shouting Ebin Pawa o — “hunger don kill us finish o.”
They made this known to Tinubu when he passed by with his long entourage during one of his visits to Lagos not long ago. Wasn’t Onanuga on that entourage? If he wasn’t, at least he heard the cry of hunger from Lagosians, which he acknowledged in his Arise TV appearance on Tuesday, even though he twisted it to make his bogus and ridiculous claim.
If Onanuga still refuses to be enlightened about the level of hunger in Nigeria, Nigerians are willing to inform him that they are not only hungry, they are also angry. The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has angrily announced plans to stage a nationwide protest on Monday. Before hunger sends them and their dependents to an early grave, they are demanding an urgent review of workers’ wages and improved welfare packages.
In a statement issued yesterday, Thursday, in Abuja, the National Coordinator, Andrew Emelieze, put it this way: “We call on the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to immediately declare a two-day nationwide strike and protest against insecurity and the hardship confronting Nigerians.” Isn’t Onanuga aware that by hardship, Emelieze meant hunger?
Again, isn’t Onanuga aware that Democracy Day was marked by Nigerians with hunger and insecurity protests? Is Onanuga really a Nigerian, as he claims? Is he even aware that hungry and angry Nigerians are determined to send him and Tinubu back to Lagos?
Dear Mr Bayo Onanuga, not only hunger—there’s also anger in Nigeria. If President Tinubu really listens to you as a Special Adviser, please inform him earnestly that Nigerians are hungry and angry. I don’t think he will sack you for stating the obvious.
Nigerians find it even disgraceful that countries that should look up to Nigeria are gathering food to feed the “Giant” of Africa. May this hunger not kill us before 2027.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
