Nigeria battles to save 31.5m people in 26 states from food crisis
Nigeria battles to save 31.5m citizens from food crisis
After admitting that 24.7 million Nigerians in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been hit and incapacitated by food and nutrition crisis, the Federal Government is battling to stem the tide.
The figure captures three months – from March to May 2024.
According to Sunday Vanguard, the Federal Government also admitted, in a report titled, ‘Cadre Harmonise, CH-Phase 3, Food and Nutrition Insecurity Analysis for Nigeria’, presented in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), at the ‘Results Presentation Workshop’, held in Abuja, that the figure may jump to 31.5 million from May to August.
That is not all.
The report also said that the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the country is expected to increase from 14, 000 to 83, 846, if measures are not put in place immediately to curb the trend.
According to the report, affected states under emergency in the North-East include Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and Bauchi, while those in the North-West are Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto.
States under the pressure of food and nutrition crisis in the North-East include Taraba and Gombe; North-Central – Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Kwara and the FCT; North-West – Kebbi, Jigawa, and Kano; South-West – Ogun and Lagos; and South-South – Cross River, Edo and Rivers.
Those with minimal impact are Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Imo, Akwa-Ibom, Ebonyi and Anambra.
In a remark at the presentation, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Temitope Fashedemi, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties in the Ministry, Adedayo Modupe said the Federal Government was making efforts to address the situation with various agricultural interventions to boost food production across the country.
Indeed the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had reported that food inflation was 33.93 per cent in December 2023 compared to 26.98 per cent when President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on the agricultural sector.
Following various protests, including the one by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that erupted across the country over high food prices, which led to attacks on trucks conveying food items and warehouses, President Tinubu convened an emergency meeting to roll out interventions to cushion the impact of high food prices and hunger in the land.
Last 8th February, the President directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to immediately release 42,000 metric tonnes of grains, including maize, millet, and other commodities, from the national strategic grain reserves, during the meeting of the Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention.
Also, the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria has committed to releasing about 60,000 metric tonnes of rice into markets.
In a broadcast to the nation, President Tinubu announced several initiatives to arrest the soaring prices of food items and calm rising tempers, including supply of fertilisers to farmers and grains to households, increased protection for farmers, identification of 500,000 hectares of land for cultivation, enhanced synergy between the ministries charged with agriculture and water resources, and the elevation of food and water issues as remits of the National Security Council, and others.
On the orders of the President, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari also announced that modalities for the release of 42,000 metric tonnes of grains to needy Nigerians from different strategic grain reserves in the country were being worked out with the Department of State Service (DSS) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to make the process seamless and successful.
According to Kyari, the Ministry had also adopted various measures to produce more food to address high food prices.
The Minister is collaborating with the 36 state governors in providing subsidised farm inputs for dry season farming and also wet season farming to boost food production with proper identification of real farmers to benefit from the interventions.
The Federal Government also approved a grant of N185 billion to the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, for the purchase of 100,000 bags of rice and other grains to be distributed as palliatives.
As part of an intervention to bring relief to vulnerable Nigerians, the Dangote Foundation flagged off the distribution of 120,000 bags of 10kg bags of rice to the needy in Kano and Lagos.
The Chairman of the Foundation, Aliko Dangote, explained that one million 10kg bags of rice would be distributed to reach one million vulnerable people in all the 774 local government areas of the country, based on compassion and care for Nigerians who cannot afford the high food prices.
On17th March, Lagos State government joined the bid to stem food crisis when it flagged off what it called Ounje Eko food markets where people go for discounted prices of different food items in the five divisions of the state.
Farmers and civil society organisations, among other Nigerians, are rattled by the projections and spoke about how to avert 31 million Nigerians being thrown into food and nutrition crisis next month.
What states need to do – AFAN
The National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim expressed concern and said states need to do more to reduce Nigerians affected by food crisis.
Ibrahim told Sunday Vanguard: “I am concerned about the level of food inflation in Nigeria today and dread the news that as high as 24.7 people in 26 states of the federation are already facing acute shortage of food according to the same analysts.
“I am hopeful that these numbers will change very soon as efforts are being made to avert the situation.
“The government is doing a lot to avert this crisis through interventions like dry season farming programmes such as National Agricultural Growth Scheme – Argo-Pocket.
“Government should do more especially at the subnational level where agriculture really takes place.
“I recommend that staple foods in each of the six geopolitical zones should be identified and their production scaled up to bring about food sufficiency and ultimately food security will be attained”.
The National Coordinator, Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC), Israel Uwejeyan said: “The Niger Delta Youth Congress expresses deep concern over the recent Cadre Harmonise Insecurity Analysis Report revealing that 24.7 million Nigerians in 26 states are facing acute food and nutrition crises between March and May, with an additional 31.5 million expected to be plunged into the crisis from June to August.
“This alarming revelation underscores the urgent need for decisive action to mitigate the suffering of millions of our fellow citizens.
“We are profoundly dissatisfied with the current approach of the government towards addressing the skyrocketing food prices in the country.
“The prevailing situation has inflicted immense hardship on the masses, especially vulnerable communities in the Niger Delta region.
“Despite numerous promises and assurances, little tangible progress has been made to alleviate the plight of those grappling with food insecurity.
“The NDYC want to vehemently urge the government to prioritize the following actions to effectively tackle the looming crisis and prevent further escalations: Immediate deployment of comprehensive emergency food relief measures to the affected states with an emphasis on having a well-structured distribution mechanism that will possibly involve celebrities volunteering to monitor the distribution process for transparency, as most of the government so-called palliatives doesn’t get to the vulnerable ones.
“Government should also implement robust agricultural support programs aimed at revitalizing local food production and enhancing food security resilience in affected communities.
“This should include the provision of agricultural inputs, extension services, and incentives to smallholder farmers.
“We also urge the government to expand the social safety net programmes targeting the most vulnerable groups, including women, children, and internally displaced persons, IDPs, to safeguard their basic nutritional needs and protect them from the adverse effects of the crisis especially those living in the remote swamps of the Niger Delta Region.
“Lastly, we urge the government to focus on peacebuilding by addressing underlying socio-economic and environmental factors fueling conflicts and insecurity in food-producing regions, through sustained peace building efforts and community dialogue initiatives.
“It is imperative for the government to demonstrate unwavering commitment and decisive leadership in addressing the root causes of food insecurity and mitigating its devastating impacts on our citizens. NDYC stands ready to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of these urgent interventions and safeguard the well-being of our people”.
The Country Director, of ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), Andrew Mamedu said: “The current approach of government in tackling the issue of high food prices in the country is evidently inadequate, given the alarming projections of acute hunger to affect millions of Nigerians in the coming month.
“This should ideally be a deafening alarm bell, which ActionAid had raised and keeps raising, for the federal, state and local governments because it is an indictment of their failure to prioritize the welfare of the Nigerian people over political and economic interests.
“Therefore, anything short of swift and comprehensive action would be a betrayal of the most vulnerable citizens and a stain on the Federal Government’s conscience.
“ActionAid recommends that efforts should be intensified to resolve ongoing conflicts and insecurity in regions heavily affected by food insecurity, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and northwest and even other parts of the country.
“Enhancing the security measures will create an enabling environment for agricultural activities and ensure the safety of vulnerable populations, farmers, especially the women farmers and in transporting the goods from the farms to the cities.
“The Federal Government must implement measures to strengthen the naira and stabilise prices of essential commodities to alleviate the financial burden on households. As it is, addressing the increased cost of fuel, currency devaluation, and rising inflation is essential to stabilising the economy and curbing food price hikes.
“Increased investment in agriculture is crucial to boosting food production and ensuring food availability. This includes providing farmers with necessary support such as improved access to agricultural inputs, credit facilities, and technical assistance to enhance productivity of course, special attention should be given to vulnerable groups, particularly children under five years old, whom the report identifies to be at risk of malnutrition during the food crises.
“Implementing nutrition programmes and providing food assistance to these populations will help mitigate the impact of food insecurity on their health and well-being.
“Collaboration between government agencies, international organisations, civil society groups, and other stakeholders is vital for a coordinated response to the food insecurity crisis. Engaging all relevant stakeholders in planning and implementing interventions will ensure a more effective and sustainable approach to addressing the challenges”.
Source: Sunday Vanguard
