The ‘un-palliating’ Palliative: The Politicization of Food Palliative in Nigeria

Abstract

In 2020, lockdown measures aimed at curbing COVID-19 in Nigeria severely disrupted livelihoods and prompted the government to distribute food palliatives as emergency relief. Since then, this approach has become a recurring strategy during economic crises or social upheavals, ostensibly to alleviate hunger among vulnerable populations. However, this paper contends that food palliatives are not merely humanitarian aid but a calculated political instrument. By temporarily appeasing public discontent, they divert attention from systemic governance failures such as chronic poverty, corruption, and institutional dysfunction, without addressing their root causes. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative analysis of secondary data (academic literature, media reports, and policy documents), thematically examining the nexus between palliative distributions and governance deficits. Findings reveal that such short-term measures reinforce cycles of bad governance by substituting performative relief for sustainable economic reforms. Through Foucault’s lens of governmentality, the paper demonstrates how palliatives function as tools of state control, masking structural inequities rather than resolving them. The study concludes by advocating for the abolition of the palliative programmes and urges governments at all levels to prioritise long-term developmental strategies to tackle food insecurity and governance challenges holistically.