Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the recent distribution of 100 trucks of rice and ₦1.2 billion in cash support to northern states by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, describing the initiative as a political manoeuvre rather than a meaningful response to Nigeria’s deepening economic crisis.
In a statement released Friday in Abuja through his aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the intervention reflects a troubling trend of “weaponising hunger” for political gain.
The criticism follows the First Lady’s launch of the relief programme just a day earlier, targeting vulnerable households across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
The initiative, coordinated with presidential aide Ibrahim Masari, aims to ease hardship during the festive season. Speaking at the launch in Kaduna, Tinubu said the gesture embodies compassion, sacrifice, and solidarity, adding that state committees would oversee fair distribution.
However, Atiku dismissed the move as superficial. He accused the administration of Bola Tinubu of focusing on optics rather than addressing the structural drivers of poverty.
According to him, Nigerians are grappling with soaring food prices, rampant inflation, and declining purchasing power, leaving millions unable to afford basic meals.
“What Nigerians are witnessing is the normalisation of poverty,” Atiku said, adding that distributing food at public ceremonies does little to solve the underlying crisis.
He further highlighted worsening conditions in northern Nigeria, where insecurity and policy failures have disrupted farming activities, weakened supply chains, and intensified food shortages since 2023.
Atiku also referenced past similar initiatives, including food distributions by the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu, during Ramadan, alleging a pattern of using relief efforts as political tools.
“What began as an experiment has now become a full strategy of optics over substance,” he said. “Nigerians are not beggars to be pacified with handouts while their livelihoods collapse.”
The former vice president urged citizens to reject what he described as “the politics of survival” and demand policies that ensure long-term food security and economic stability.
