Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has lamented that Nigerian families can no longer afford food under President Bola Tinubu.

Atiku made the assertion in a statement on Thursday, amid a report by nutrition experts showing that 41.1 percent of Nigerian children under five are stunted, while 19.2 percent are severely stunted.

The ex-VP described the malnutrition figures as one of the most disturbing manifestations of the cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria.

Atiku warned that economic hardship is no longer merely emptying the pockets of parents but also threatening the physical development and future of millions of Nigerian children.

“This is the most heartbreaking face of the cost-of-living crisis. Behind every statistic is a Nigerian mother struggling to decide what her children can eat, how much they can eat and how often they can eat.

“A child does not understand inflation figures. A child only knows whether there is food on the table.

“When nutritious food moves beyond the reach of millions of families, the consequences eventually appear in the bodies of our children. Today, the country is being confronted with figures that should shock the conscience of every leader,” he stated.