Reps raise alarm over soaring poverty, hunger

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives on Tuesday raised serious concern over Nigeria’s worsening poverty and hunger situation, calling for urgent, coordinated action with special focus on agricultural recovery in the North East.
The motion was sponsored by Hon. Khadija Bukar Ibrahim, who warned that recent estimates show about 139 million Nigerians roughly 61 per cent of the population are currently living below the national poverty line, with projections indicating the figure could rise to 141 million by 2026 due to inflation and weak economic growth.
Moving the motion, Hon. Ibrahim also noted that Nigeria is facing a deepening food security crisis, as the United Nations World Food Programme projects that about 35 million Nigerians will face severe food insecurity in 2026, the highest figure on the African continent.
She expressed concern that millions of Nigerians can no longer afford basic food items and essential services, a situation that is worsening malnutrition, particularly among women, children, the elderly and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The House was further informed that the North East, a predominantly agrarian region, has suffered years of disrupted farming activities due to insurgency, displacement of rural communities, destruction of farmlands and loss of productive assets.
Although security has improved in several parts of the region, the lawmaker lamented that many farmers are still unable to fully return to farming because of limited access to inputs, financing, extension services, irrigation facilities, storage and rural infrastructure needed for sustainable agricultural recovery.
She warned that failure to reintegrate displaced farmers into agricultural recovery and food security programmes would continue to entrench poverty and hunger in the region, with wider consequences for national food sufficiency, economic stability and peace-building efforts.
Adopting the motion, the House resolved to urge the Federal Government, in line with Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), to strengthen and harmonise existing poverty reduction, food security and post-conflict agricultural recovery initiatives, with special attention to communities affected by insecurity.