Please Pay Attention: If you’re reading on PHOENIX, please click the “ Read Original ” button at the top right to view the full article.
According to a report by the Punch on Saturday, May 2, 2026, Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the distribution of 100 trucks of rice and N1.2bn cash support to northern states by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, describing the intervention as a politicisation of hardship rather than a genuine response to worsening economic conditions.
Shaibu made the remarks in a statement issued in Abuja, amid growing concerns over rising food prices, inflation, and worsening living conditions across the country, particularly in the North where insecurity and reduced agricultural output have intensified food shortages.
The First Lady had, a day earlier, launched the distribution of rice and cash assistance to vulnerable households across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration. The initiative, carried out in collaboration with the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, was aimed at cushioning the impact of economic hardship on struggling families during the festive period.
Speaking at the flag-off in Kaduna, she said the intervention was designed to reflect compassion and solidarity associated with the season, with distribution handled through state committees to ensure the items reach intended beneficiaries.
However, Shaibu criticised the move, arguing that it reflects a broader pattern of using food support as a political tool rather than addressing structural economic challenges. He said worsening hardship has left many families unable to afford basic meals, while inflation continues to erode household income and deepen poverty levels.
He also claimed that insecurity and policy failures have significantly affected agricultural productivity in the North, forcing many farmers off their lands and weakening food supply chains.
According to him, what is needed is a long-term solution focused on sustainable food systems rather than temporary relief efforts tied to public events and political messaging. He further warned that humanitarian interventions should not be turned into instruments of political branding.
Shaibu stated: “What the North truly needs is genuine, sustainable food security policies—not campaign lunch packs wrapped in party insignia.”
He added that Nigerians should not be treated as recipients of periodic handouts while deeper economic challenges remain unresolved, urging a shift toward more accountable governance and lasting reforms.
