By Myke Uzendu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over the rising cost of food, accusing the Federal Government of focusing on headline inflation figures while Nigerians struggle to afford basic necessities.
The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Tuesday said the latest inflation figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that the government had “run out of ideas” in addressing the worsening cost-of-living crisis.
The NBS reported that headline inflation moderated marginally from 15.91 per cent in June to 15.43 per cent in July.
The ADC, however, said the headline figure masked a more troubling development, as food inflation accelerated from 17.52 per cent in June to 20.31 per cent in July year-on-year.
It also noted that food inflation increased from 3.75 per cent in June to 5.56 per cent month-on-month.
According to the party, the figures reflected continued increases in the prices of essential food items, including rice, tomatoes, onions, pepper, beef, eggs and garri.
“While the government celebrates the moderation in headline inflation announced by the NBS, the same report tells a much more troubling story,” the party said.
The ADC argued that the government’s emphasis on core and headline inflation failed to capture the economic reality facing ordinary Nigerians.
It linked the development to an earlier report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which it said indicated that about 35 million Nigerians were facing acute food insecurity, with millions of children at risk of malnutrition.
The opposition party described the situation as evidence of the hardship Nigerians were experiencing under the Tinubu administration and challenged the government to explain why citizens were finding it increasingly difficult to afford food if its economic reforms were working.
The ADC said the administration should be prepared to acknowledge when its policies were not producing the desired results rather than relying on what it described as “things are getting better” propaganda.
