Post by Adedayo Oduwobi (@stopit)

SERIES 2: WHEN HUNGER BECOMES “NORMAL”

“If Hunger Will Always Exist, Then What Is Government For?”

One statement attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sparked one of the most important debates Nigerians should be having.

If hunger existed before his administration and will continue after it, does that mean hunger should simply be accepted as a permanent feature of Nigerian life?

Let us think about that carefully.

No serious person expects any government to eliminate poverty completely.

No country has done that.

But every responsible government is elected to reduce poverty, expand opportunities and improve the quality of life of its citizens.

Government exists because problems exist.

If there were no insecurity, no unemployment, no inflation, no hunger, no poor infrastructure and no social challenges, there would be little need for government in the first place.

Leadership is not measured by explaining why suffering exists.

Leadership is measured by reducing it.

Imagine a doctor telling a patient:

“People have always fallen sick. People will always fall sick.”

Technically, that statement is true.

But it completely ignores the doctor’s responsibility to treat the illness.
The same principle applies to government.
Citizens do not elect leaders to explain hardship.
They elect them to fight it.
Across Nigeria today, many families have adjusted their lives because of rising living costs.
Some eat fewer meals.
Some have withdrawn children from school.
Some businesses have closed because operating expenses continue to rise.
These are not abstract statistics.
They are daily realities.
Acknowledging these realities is not an admission of failure.
It is the beginning of responsible governance.
The greatest leaders in history never pretended that problems did not exist.
They inspired confidence by confronting them honestly.
Perhaps this is why many Nigerians expected greater empathy from their President.
Empathy does not solve economic problems overnight.
But it reassures citizens that their leaders understand their struggles.
And sometimes, that understanding is where hope begins.
Questions for Nigerians

* Should citizens accept hunger as inevitable?
* Should government be judged by explanations or by results?
* Is acknowledging hardship a sign of weakness—or a sign of responsible leadership?
* What practical policies should government prioritise to reduce poverty and hunger?

Let’s discuss respectfully.

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