Fears as food crisis looms

By Femi Oyelola

Food security, according to experts, is when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), defines  food security as the state at which individuals have sufficient food to generate a calorie requirement of about 2,200–2,300 calories per day for adult females and 2,900–3,000 (about 8-10 kg of maize flour) calories per day for adult males, while children require a lower calorie level to maintain adequate health.

The inability of a country to meet these criteria is often described as food insecurity, a scenario Nigeria is fast sliding into.

There is no gainsaying that pangs of hunger currently loom large in Nigeria, a country  unarguably blessed by nature to provide for its citizens the best food security available on the planet.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the National Bureau of Statistics in its consumer price index (CPI), which measures the rate of change in prices of goods and services, rose to 28.92 percent in December 2023 — up from 28.20 percent in the previous month.

This latest figure marks the twentieth consecutive rise in the country’s inflation rate in 2023.

The Bureau said the December 2023 headline inflation rate showed an increase of “0.72% points when compared to the November 2023 headline inflation rate”

But Nigerians don’t need the analysis of NBC to inform them that they are already in a food crisis. Everyone is feeling it directly.

Alhaji Mohammed  Nasir, a Giwa Local Government Area  resident who stormed the palace of the Emir of Zazzau in Zaria  on the 16th  of January, 2024 to protest the frequent kidnapping and killings in the  Local Government retorted: “ Who is talking about food, we are always on the run and as a people who depend on farming to survive what did you expect rather than food crisis and starvation?

“We eat whatever we can lay our hands on and we see every meal as the last because only Allah will tell who will see tomorrow alive and kicking”, he said.

Similarly, Madam Mary  Kabuk a resident of  Kurmi Musa in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna state told Weekend Peoples Daily that she fled her village because of the attacks of bandits and she now depends on the goodwill of people to feed herself and her two children.

Alhaji Nasir and Madam Kabuk have demonstrated that you don’t need an Oxford University Professor to identify major factors contributing to food insecurity in Nigeria, which include poverty, climate change, conflict and insecurity, increasing population, poor policy implementation, inefficient agricultural practices, post-harvest losses and low budgetary allocation to agriculture, among others.

Coroborating  this claim, A Citizen Activist, Yusfu Ishaku Goje, said the report by the National Bureau of Statistics even though it is alarming is not surprising.

According to him, the United Nations World Food Programme had already warned  Nigerians of impending hunger.

Goje explained that a combination of insecurity, removal of fuel subsidy, and devaluation of the Naira against the dollar have made food production and transportation difficult and expensive with the end consumers bearing the burden.

The rising food inflation, he opined is a ticking time bomb as household income continues to dwindle.

“ The average household in Nigeria currently spends up to 60% of its income on food, about the highest in the world.

“This is fast leading to an increase in criminalities and promiscuity for survival.  More worrisome, it will further worsen the high rate of severe acute malnutrition currently bedevilling the country.

“There is a need for a whole-of-government and multi-stakeholders approach with a declaration of state of emergency on food insecurity. Urgently, the government needs to carry out far-reaching reforms and interventions to curb food inflation.

“The security of the farming population across the country must be given priority. The needed transportation infrastructure needs to be put in place to reduce the cost and timeframe for transporting farm produce.

“Social assistance should be provided to poor smallholder farmers, especially women, in the form of farming inputs. This will increase yield and raise household consumption and income. Deliberate and emergency interventions must be carried out to support the growth of large-scale commercial agriculture.

“The government must realize that food is not just a basic need, but a key factor in enabling productivity. No effort should be spared in reversing the rising food inflation,” he said.

Corroborating this, the Citizen  Co-Chair of Open Government Partnership OGP Kaduna State Mubarak Abdulganiyi said Nigeria has been grappling with a concerning surge in food inflation, casting a shadow of hunger over the nation, saying the astronomical rise in food prices has triggered a domino effect, impacting the lives of millions and raising alarm bells about the imminent threat of widespread hunger.

Mubarak Abdulganiyi is of the view that the root cause of the escalating food inflation lies in a combination of economic factors.

“ Unfavorable weather conditions affecting agricultural productivity, coupled with rising transportation costs, have significantly contributed to the spike in food prices. Additionally, the depreciation of the national currency and global economic uncertainties have exacerbated the situation.”

He explained that the agricultural sector, being the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, is bearing the brunt of these challenges.

Farmers,  according to him, are grappling with increased production costs, making it harder for them to meet the growing demand for staple foods. The consequences are felt not only by the farmers but also by the consumers who face inflated prices at local markets.

He stressed that the soaring food prices pose a direct threat to food security in Nigeria.

“Many households, especially those with low-income levels, are finding it increasingly difficult to afford basic food items. This vulnerability could lead to a surge in malnutrition rates, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.

“The Nigerian government is not oblivious of the crisis and has initiated various measures to address the issue. Efforts include subsidies, agricultural support programs, and policies aimed at stabilizing the economy. However, the effectiveness of these interventions remains a subject of scrutiny, and their impact on alleviating the immediate concerns of the populace is yet to be fully realized.

“Collaborative efforts involving international organizations, local NGOs, and the private sector are crucial in mitigating the impact of the rising food prices. Coordination between stakeholders can facilitate the implementation of sustainable solutions and ensure that resources are optimally utilized to address both short-term and long-term challenges.

“As Nigeria grapples with the menacing spectre of hunger due to the unprecedented surge in food inflation, urgent and comprehensive action is imperative.

“The convergence of efforts from the government, international organizations, and local initiatives is essential to not only stabilize food prices but also fortify the nation’s resilience against future economic uncertainties. The collective response to this crisis will determine the ability of Nigeria to secure the well-being of its citizens and safeguard food security in the face of adversity,” Mubarak Abdulganiyi advised.

Hajia Hadiza Umar of Hope for Children’s Initiative lamented that hunger is fast becoming the first runner-up in the list of concerns for the common man in Nigeria.

According to her as the inflation rate rises, the value of Nigeria has degenerated, unemployment a major concern even for education, and the ability to buy food, not to mention nutritious food is fast becoming out of reach for a large majority.

“Most beggars on the streets and who knock on doors are no longer street urchins, but neighbours, friends, family members, colleagues and surprisingly the “not-so-poor” people were used to handing down the remnants.

“ Unless something is done, more Nigerian children, women and vulnerable groups will drag the country down the social protection ladder and ultimately we may face the long-forecast food crisis. This is the time for all hands to be on deck to salvage the situation. The government needs to deliberately plan, allocate and release funds and resources to pull Nigeria out of this looming threat,” she warned.

However, the  National  President of  the Arewa  Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima, preferred to preach hope by  saying Nigeria was already in food crisis even before the coming of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s  government

According to him, Nigerians already knew they were going to fall into trouble from what happened in the  administration of  President  Muhammadu Buhari.

“For me, it’s no news and experts have come out publicly to say that, the economic crisis, inflation, and hardship will be worse in 2024 so some of us have made up our minds about it.

“And also from another angle, other experts come out to say at the end of the tunnel, there will be light. Sometimes they become bold to say, that from now to December there will be a bit of hardship in October but things may likely change before December.

“But I’m one of those who is very much positive in life, believing strongly that there will be light at the end of the tunnel because nothing is permanent in life and this has always been what keeps my faith stronger that has been my ideology about life generally.

“I have faith in God and I so much believe that yes, despite the shortcomings, the darkness, there shall be light at the end of it.

“So let’s all put our hands on  deck and be very prayerful believing that things can turn around and God willing, it won’t be as bad as we are thinking. Hopefully, there will be intervention from the Almighty Creator and I so much believe that things can turn around for the better in this country.

“The reality of the matter just to be clear, things have not been normal in the last few years maybe as a result of this banditry, this insecurity and so on. Of course, the farmers are the major target of those bandits.

“ So you expect that if they can’t farm certainly we are going to face hardship of hunger because if they need to farm and harvest before we can get it from the market and other places.

“This is just natural, it’s going to be a bit harder and hunger has been there, it’s no story but I believe if the government can come up with a political way to address these issues by not only mere talks but being bold enough with their political wills to be determined to address these issues once and for all, I think we are going to go a long way.”

But in a sharp reaction,  Comrade Bako Abdul Usman of Campaign for  Democracy expressed dismay that it saddened his heart for in the abundant of so much arable lands food is becoming a threat to Nigerians to the extent that people are seen most time scooping up sandy stones on the ground with rice and other foodstuffs when opportunities come up by ways such as sharing of palliatives while we are not in Gaza situation yet.

He observed that in as much as the inflation rate soars higher than necessary, playing a major negative role in the food purchasing value chain process, we must equally admit that, it is also helping to cover the many failures in gaps created by leadership within the governance space.

The system he stressed has completely failed as a result of so many factors leading to inflation which includes poor policy implementation, inefficient agricultural practices, post-harvest losses, low budgetary allocation to agriculture, climate change, insecurity, poverty, conflict, and increasing population among others.

“We need to go back to the drawing boardroom to holistically address our systematic failed, food production value chain process and stop playing the ostrich policy of ignoring the obvious problems and pretending they do not exist.

“Let’s avoid pointing fingers at just inflation rate alone for it is the gallery playing style within governance leadership of being in the abundance of water and remaining thirsty.

“Government must be seen taking pragmatic measures in addressing holistically the food value chain process with modern technics and mechanism to avert crisis as a result of hunger for it is on record that a hungry person is an angry person and by the statistical data available government cannot control such population if it stages an uprising as a result of not having what to feed itself,” he said.