Right of Reply: A citizen’s response to State House press statement

I have read the State House press statement dated August 7, 2025, titled “Responsible Critique Requires Fact-Driven Narratives,” which was issued in response to a recent Daily Trust editorial on the economic hardship currently facing Nigerians.  As a citizen, not affiliated with any political party or media organisation, I feel it is important to add […]

I have read the State House press statement dated August 7, 2025, titled “Responsible Critique Requires Fact-Driven Narratives,” which was issued in response to a recent Daily Trust editorial on the economic hardship currently facing Nigerians. 

As a citizen, not affiliated with any political party or media organisation, I feel it is important to add my voice—not as an expert, but as someone who lives in Nigeria, earns in naira, pays market prices, and knows what it means to stretch a salary to survive.

 Daily Trust said Nigerians are hungry. It wasn’t wrong. 

The Presidency took issue with Daily Trust for saying “Nigerians are hungry.” But respectfully, the newspaper was only echoing what is happening across the country. This is not sensationalism—it is the truth. 

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Hunger has no political affiliation. It doesn’t care who is in power or who is in opposition. You only need to walk through the markets, visit IDP camps, or sit with civil servants who haven’t been paid in months. Daily Trust didn’t invent the suffering. It simply said it out loud.

The government’s response lists plans — But what about people? 

The State House statement was long and full of talking points: tax reform, food distribution, currency stabilization, school feeding, loans, and more. On paper, it all sounds impressive. But, with respect, many of us have not felt any of it. 

Yes, the naira has recovered from 1,800/$1 to 1,525/$1. But the price of bread hasn’t dropped. The cost of transport hasn’t dropped. Fuel prices haven’t dropped. So what exactly has recovered for the ordinary Nigerian?

Nigerians are not ungrateful — We are just tired.

It is possible to commend government reforms and still say: “This is not enough.” That doesn’t make us enemies of progress. It makes us citizens who care. No one denies that tough decisions are being made. But the suffering is deep, and the relief is slow. Hope doesn’t fill stomachs. Press statements don’t pay school fees. 

To criticise is not to hate — It is to participate 

The tone of the Presidency’s statement suggests that Daily Trust crossed the line by being too critical. But that is what journalism is supposed to do in a democracy: shine a light where things are going wrong.

 If anything, the government should be worried when the people are silent—not when they speak up. 

Conclusion: What we want is delivery, not defence 

President Tinubu’s government has time to turn things around. And I believe that many Nigerians, like myself, are willing to be patient—but only when we see that the pain we feel is being met with empathy and urgency from those in power.

 The Daily Trust editorial said what millions of us feel. The government’s response didn’t deny the hardship—it simply tried to explain it. But explanations don’t cook food. They don’t pay rent. They don’t buy fuel.

Mr. President, this is not an attack. It is an appeal. Let us feel the Renewed Hope—not just hear about it.

 

Aliyu, FCIArb,UK, resides in Kaduna