Bayo Onanuga’s line “I ask my workers… I don’t see the hunger Nigerians complain about,” lands badly because it confuses anecdote with data.
Aides, drivers, and Villa staff earning salaries in 2026 aren’t a proxy for 133m Nigerians classified as multidimensionally poor by NBS. Asking workers who depend on you for wages is like asking passengers on a yacht if the sea is rough. Of course they’ll say “no.” Hunger doesn’t shout in Aso Rock cafeterias; it whispers in markets, IDP camps, and rural farms.
Data vs denial: NBS, WFP, and FAO have all flagged rising food inflation, reduced meals per day, and protein cuts since 2023. You can debate policy fixes, but denying the symptom makes government look out of touch. Citizens don’t want spin, they want empathy and action. “I don’t see it” reads as “It’s not real.”
Acknowledge the pain first: “Yes, food costs are crushing many homes. Here’s what we’re doing…” Then show farm outputs, conditional cash transfers, grain releases, LG agriculture funds.
Leaders don’t need to feel hunger to fight it. But they must see it. Your workers’ full plates can’t cancel empty pots across Nigeria.
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