The Presidency has dismissed recent claims that Nigeria is on the brink of collapse, describing such assertions as exaggerated and not grounded in fact.
In a statement on Thursday, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, pushed back against a recent editorial titled "Nigeria is Collapsing under Tinubu's Watch," accusing it of misrepresenting the country's current economic situation and fuelling public despair.
While acknowledging that Nigeria is facing economic challenges, Dare maintained that the situation is not as dire as critics have portrayed.
"The claim that 33 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger is a projection, not a confirmed reality," he said, referencing figures from the Cadre Harmonisé report, a regional tool used to forecast food insecurity.
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"Criticism is welcome, but it must be rooted in truth -- not fear-mongering," he added.
Dare accused the editorial of engaging in "alarmist journalism" and overlooking the federal government's ongoing efforts to ease hardship and stabilise the economy.
He cited several interventions including the release of food from national reserves, agricultural programmes, and cash transfer initiatives as evidence of proactive measures.
On economic reforms, he pointed to improvements in the naira-dollar exchange rate and ongoing tax and social policy reforms expected to gain further traction by 2026.
