Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to address the country’s high cost of food items urgently.

In a chat with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo, Oyintiloye expressed concern that Nigerians were hungry and living below the poverty line. He highlighted that many citizens are disillusioned and worried about where their next meal will come from due to the extreme economic hardship.

Oyintiloye also urged the president to heed the United Nations’ prediction that 82 million Nigerians, approximately 64 percent of the country’s population, might face hunger by 2030. He cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which revealed that the food inflation rate in the country hit a record high of 40.66 percent in May, surpassing the previous month’s increase of 40.53 percent.

As a former member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Oyintiloye noted that the hike in prices is making common household food items increasingly unaffordable for the average Nigerian. Despite the country’s abundant natural and human resources, successive governments have failed to drive the economy productively.

He pointed out that corruption and overdependency on the distribution of crude oil revenue by the government tiers are hindering the establishment of a productive and self-sufficient economy for the benefit of the masses.

While acknowledging that President Tinubu is trying to address the situation through various intervention programs, Oyintiloye emphasized that the impact of these interventions has been insufficient in alleviating the economic distress. He noted that prices of basic household food items such as rice, beans, garri, and spaghetti are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the masses.