The president reprimands the newspaper over the editorial ‘distorted’ about hunger, economy

The president has greatly criticized the new editorial of the national daily, accusing it misinterpreting the economic reality of Nigeria and ignoring the ongoing government efforts to overcome difficulties throughout the country.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, a special advisor to the President for the media and public communication, Sunday Dare, described the editorial as “enlarged and misleading.”

Dare noted that while the presidency welcomed the constructive criticism of the media, it must be anchored in the truth, context, and national responsibility rather than, in his words, “Sensational narratives designed to ignite public sentiment.”

“The Tinubu government respects media rights to request government accountability. But the right comes with the obligation to present facts fairly,” the statement said.

“Responsible journalism must empower citizens with accurate information, not deepening despair through distortion.”

The president said that the claims that were widely published in the editorials of 33 million Nigerians, including 16 million children, were at risk of hunger-were the worst projections of cadres of harmonious food safety analysis, not reality at this time.

According to Dare, the report – produced by the Federal Government, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Program (WFP), and UNICEF – is based on the assumption that there is no government intervention that will occur.

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“In fact, the government has taken the brave steps to prevent the projection to come true,” he said.

Statement listed has been applied: release of more than 42,000 metric tons of seeds from national reserves; additional procurement of 117,000 metric tons; Activation of the Presidential Food Security Council; And the targeted nutritional support in high-risk countries such as Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Sokoto, Bauchi, and Katsina.

In the economy, the presidency rejected the editorial description of Naira as “worthless,” calling it “misleading and inaccurate.”

That remembers that the currency, which descended to N1.800/$ 1 in March 2024, has recovered to N1.525 \ $ 1 in August 2025.

“This recovery has been driven by reforms that restore investor confidence, unite the foreign exchange market, increase oil revenue, increase money sending, and clean more than $ 4 billion in the forex backlog,” the statement said.

The Presidential also quoted the ongoing social protection initiative aimed at reducing the impact of economic reform and rising global food prices. These include:

– Payment of N75,000 to 3 million households vulnerable under the renewable Hope conditional cash transfer scheme;
– Support tuition fees for 396,000 students through Nigerian education loan funds (Nelfund);
– Grant for more than 250,000 MSMEs in 2025; And
-The program of providing national school food planted at home, which serves 9.8 million students in 53,000 schools, employs 200,000 local cooks and supports thousands of small farmers.

The statement further highlighted the renewable, recently approved Hope Ward (RHWDP) program (RHWDP) was approved by President Tinubu and supported by the National Economic Council (NEC).

RHWDP is targeting all 8,809 wards in this country with grassroots interventions in agriculture, rural infrastructure, electricity, employment creation, and poverty alleviation aims to empower at least 1,000 active individuals per ward, increasing local manufacturers, and Nigerian fast paths to the Nigerian economy to the A \ 1 1 trillion in 2030.

While acknowledging that many Nigerians are still facing difficulties, the presidency urges the media to maintain justice and balance in their report during the “economic transition period”.

“Nigeria heals. Reformation pain is real, but so is its progress. Hope is not just a slogan, it is seen in Naira’s stabilization, in millions of families who receive support, students who live in schools, and in farmers who return to the fields.”

“This government does not demand silence in the face of difficulties. It only asks for justice and a joint commitment to rebuild, not only strengthen despair.”