Daily Trust exaggerated Nigeria’s economic situation – Presidency
By Kunle Sanni
The Presidency has responded strongly to a recent editorial published by Daily Trust, accusing the newspaper of spreading distorted and alarmist narratives about the nation’s economic situation and government policies.
In a statement issued by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, on Thursday, the government criticised the editorial for portraying Nigeria as a country gripped by “hunger, hardship, and helplessness,” calling it “exaggerated and unbalanced.”
According to the statement, while the Tinubu administration welcomes fact-based critique and media accountability, it rejects what it described as “selective pessimism” and “deliberate misrepresentation” of policy realities.
“Constructive criticism must be anchored on facts, not distortion,” the statement read. “Daily Trust has, on multiple occasions, misrepresented government actions—some of which it has publicly apologised for.”
Responding to references in the editorial to a UNICEF projection of 33 million Nigerians facing hunger in 2025, the government clarified that the figure was drawn from the Cadre Harmonisé analysis—a joint report by Nigeria, FAO, WFP, and UNICEF—and represents a worst-case scenario in the absence of interventions.
The statement also reminded readers that global food insecurity is not unique to Nigeria, citing the World Bank’s April 2025 data showing over 1.4 billion people worldwide facing food stress.
The Presidency dismissed the editorial’s characterization of the naira as “worthless,” pointing out its recovery from ₦1,800/$1 in March to around ₦1,525/$1 as of August 1, 2025.
