Drama as Tinubu’s Top Minister Makes U-Turn, Suspends 3-Day Prayer, Fasting to Tackle Hunger

• The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has suspended its planned three-day prayer and fasting programme, which was intended to seek divine intervention for Nigeria’s hunger and food security crisis
• Earlier, a leaked circular revealed the ministry’s directive for all staff—including top officials—to participate in weekly spiritual sessions scheduled for June 16, 23, and 30 at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja
• In a significant twist of events, the ministry postponed the prayer sessions indefinitely, without an explanation

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Abuja - On Saturday, June 14, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has made a U-turn by suspending its planned prayer and fasting sessions aimed at seeking divine intervention to end hunger in the country.

Hunger crisis: Prayer and fasting sparks national backlash

Legit.ng earlier reported that in a bold move to address Nigeria's agricultural challenges, the Ministry of Agriculture announced a three-day fasting and prayer programme, aimed at seeking divine intervention for the country's food security efforts.

The initiative was part of the ministry’s ongoing work to improve Nigeria’s agricultural sector and ensure food security for its citizens.

But in a significant twist of events, on Saturday, the ministry suspended the prayer session.

This was after a leaked internal circular, dated June 11, 2025, directed all staff—including directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, and value chain desk officers—to gather for weekly spiritual sessions at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

Signed by the Director of Human Resource Management, Mrs. Adedayo Modupe O., the circular urged staff to fast and participate in a prayer initiative tagged “Divine Intervention for Protection and National Development,” slated for June 16, 23, and 30.

“This is to invite all staff of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food to a solemn prayer session for God’s guidance and supporting the Government’s effort to achieve food security,” the circular stated.

Agric ministry postpones prayer session indefinitely

However, in a follow-up memo, the same director announced a postponement of the exercise “until further notice,” without providing any reasons.

As reported by Vanguard, the reversal follows growing public criticism and media inquiries about the ministry’s spiritual response to the food crisis, with many questioning its appropriateness amid rising hunger and inflation.

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Inflation declines as NBS releases latest data

In related news, the National Bureau of Statistics has announced that Nigeria's headline inflation rate, which measures the cost of goods and services over a period, eased to 23.71% in April 2025.

On a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in April 2025 was 1.86%, which was 2.04% lower than the rate recorded in March 2025 (3.90%).

Legit.ng reported that the headline inflation rate was 9.99 percentage points lower than the rate recorded in April 2024 (33.69%).

Source: Legit.ng