As the world marks ‘World Food Day’ today, Mr. Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election has raised alarm over the worsening food crisis in Nigeria.
Mr. Obi, in a statement posted on his X handle on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, lamented that basic food items are becoming unaffordable to most people in the country.
He said, severe hunger has now become an unfortunate member of many households in Nigeria – the once giant of Africa, a nation that has the most arable land in the continent.
“Nigeria’s struggle with a food crisis and hunger today is saddening, considering the richly blessed and vast arable lands with which we are endowed as a nation.
“In the past, I used to lament that the majority of Nigerian households spent most of their income on food alone, sparing none for savings and other critical exigencies.
“Today, it is heartbreaking to note that most Nigerian households are no longer able to afford sustenance food with their income.
“Food prices are soaring, food inflation is skyrocketing, the food crisis is worsening by the day, and hunger has graduated to a national crisis”, Obi said.
He stated that the Global Hunger Index ranks Nigeria among the 20 most hungry nations in the world.
“In August 2024, it was reported that more than 31.8 million Nigerians were acutely short of food due to security challenges and the removal of fuel subsidies.
“It was also reported that 15.6 million children in Nigeria were facing hunger. The United Nations predicted that 82 million Nigerians, about 64 percent of the country’s population, may go hungry by 2030 if the government fails to tackle the menace of food insecurity.
“The domestic food inflation in Nigeria remains among the highest globally, with food prices increasing by 37.5% year-on-year as of August 2024. I believe these reports, sad as they are, only paint a lenient picture of the severity of the food crisis and hunger in reality,” he added.
To change the narrative, the former governor of Anambra State said, the country must be intentional with our agricultural investments, adding that a state like Niger State, which is twice bigger in landmass than the Netherlands (excluding water) can neither feed itself nor feed the nation, while the Netherlands exports over $100 billion worth of agro products annually.
He said, if could prioritize investment in agriculture by combating insecurity which has kept farmers away from the farms, and adopting modern ways of mechanized farming, it would be able to combat hunger and achieve food security.
