The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, has sparked controversy after dismissing concerns over widespread hunger in Nigeria, insisting that hardworking citizens should be able to afford food.
Yari made the remarks on Saturday during the APC presidential campaign rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where he argued that food remained available in markets and questioned claims that Nigerians were struggling to access basic food items.
Speaking at the rally, the APC campaign director-general challenged those complaining about hunger to establish whether they had gone to markets with money and found no food available.
“I don’t know, in Akwa Ibom, are there any persons who took their money to the market and found out there is no rice? Are there anybody with his money in his pocket, go to the market to get foodstuff and say that there is no foodstuff in the market?” Yari said.
He further argued that hunger should only be considered a problem when food is unavailable in the market, adding that Nigerians who were not lazy should have food on their tables.
“If there is no food in the market, that is what we are calling hunger. But anyone who is not a lazy person, definitely he will have food on his table,” he stated.
His comments have triggered criticism, particularly amid growing concerns over the rising cost of living, food inflation and the economic difficulties confronting millions of Nigerian households.
President Bola Tinubu has previously acknowledged the economic hardship resulting from his administration’s policies, describing the sacrifices being made by Nigerians as necessary for a better future.
Reacting to Yari’s remarks, Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson for the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), accused the APC administration of being disconnected from the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.
In a post on X, Abdullahi said Yari’s comments suggested that Nigerians were responsible for their hunger because they were lazy.
“Here is the DG of Tinubu campaign telling Nigerians that the reason they are hungry is because they are lazy,” he wrote.
He added: “Do we require any further evidence that the APC has lost touch with the reality of Nigerians? They dance buga while the people go hungry and then blame them for their own suffering.”
The controversy comes amid persistent concerns over poverty and food insecurity in the country.
A 2025 Nigeria Development Update published by the World Bank highlighted the continued economic difficulties facing Nigerian households, noting that poverty and food insecurity remained significant challenges.
“Many households continue to face hardship, with poverty and food insecurity remaining high,” the World Bank stated.
The report also identified food inflation as a major concern, noting that poor households, which spend as much as 70 per cent of their income on food, had experienced a fivefold increase in the cost of a basic food basket between 2019 and 2024.
