Nigerians are not beggars, Atiku slams Remi Tinubu’s ₦1.2bn rice palliative for North

The recent distribution of rice and cash support to northern states by Nigeria's First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has ignited a sharp critique from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He contends that the initiative, ostensibly aimed at alleviating hardship ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, is a mere political maneuver, a "subtle weaponisation of hunger," rather than a substantive solution to the nation's deepening economic crisis. Abubakar's statement, issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, directly challenges the government's approach to poverty and inflation.

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What Nigerians are witnessing today is the tragic normalisation of poverty under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Families can no longer afford basic meals, inflation has ravaged household incomes, and millions are being pushed daily into extreme deprivation.

Abubakar's criticism centers on the perceived disconnect between the government's actions and the reality faced by ordinary Nigerians. He points to soaring food prices, rampant inflation, and worsening living conditions, particularly in the North, where insecurity and declining agricultural productivity have exacerbated food shortages. Instead of addressing the root causes of these issues, such as policy failures and insecurity that have crippled farming, Abubakar argues that the government is resorting to "optics" and "campaign lunch packs wrapped in party insignia." This, he believes, normalizes poverty and exploits the suffering of the populace for political gain.

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Yet, instead of addressing the structural causes of this crisis, the government has chosen the path of optics—distributing food in carefully choreographed ceremonies while the underlying suffering deepens.

From the perspective of many Nigerians, particularly those critical of the current administration, Abubakar's critique resonates. The distribution of palliative care, while seemingly benevolent, often raises questions about fairness, sustainability, and political motivation. The call for "genuine, sustainable food security policies" reflects a desire for long-term solutions rather than short-term, symbolic gestures. This narrative highlights a fundamental debate in Nigerian politics: whether economic relief should be delivered through direct, often politically charged, distributions or through comprehensive policy reforms aimed at structural economic transformation. The First Lady's office presented the initiative as an act of "sacrifice, compassion and solidarity," but Abubakar's response frames it as a continuation of a pattern of governance that prioritizes political optics over tangible economic recovery.

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The same government and its promoters now seek to exploit the resulting hardship by turning food into a campaign tool. What the North truly needs is genuine, sustainable food security policies—not campaign lunch packs wrapped in party insignia.