Nigeria prioritises airport renovation over hunger crisis, PO condemns

DDM News

(DDM) — In the face of rising hunger and poverty, a growing number of Nigerians are questioning the Federal Government’s priorities, following the approval of ₦712.3 billion for the renovation of a single airport.

This decision, announced on August 1, 2025, came just days after the United Nations issued a dire warning that 34 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger.

That report, republished by national newspapers, placed Nigeria among the world’s hungriest nations, currently categorized under the “serious hunger” index.

For millions of Nigerians, this isn’t merely a statistic, it is a terrifying reality.

Families are sleeping on empty stomachs, children are dropping out of school, and entire communities are watching their food sources disappear.

Yet on the same day, the Federal Executive Council authorized an infrastructure expenditure that has sparked widespread outrage.

Former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, reacted with dismay to the development.

He described the approval as a tragic example of misplaced priorities by a government detached from the suffering of its people.

In his words, “Development is about choices. It begins with human development, not with grandiose infrastructure.”

Obi reminded Nigerians that in 2013, the country had already obtained a $500 million loan from China Exim Bank, alongside local counterpart funding, to upgrade five major international airports.

Those projects included Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu.

Now, a decade later, an even larger budget is being approved for just one airport.

“Where is the justification?” Obi asked.

“What urgent need outweighs the hunger of 34 million citizens?”

He further emphasized that infrastructure must never come before food security, education, health care, or safety of lives.

DDM notes that Nigeria currently suffers high inflation, low purchasing power, and escalating insecurity, which have worsened hunger, especially in rural and conflict-affected areas.

The allocation of ₦712.3 billion at such a time, many critics say, is tone-deaf and dangerous.

Experts argue that this amount, if redirected, could provide emergency feeding programmes, improve access to agricultural inputs, and strengthen nutrition support systems across the country.

Obi insists that hunger is not merely a welfare issue, it is a national security crisis.

“A government that builds runways while its people are starving is not building a nation; it is betraying one,” he said.

He concluded by reaffirming his belief that “A New Nigeria is POssible”, but only if leaders start putting people before projects.

The challenge now, he warned, is whether those in power are willing to make that shift.

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