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Endemic Hunger: A Scourge of Injustice and Neglect in Nigeria
In a land blessed with vast arable land and abundant natural resources, the irony of hunger gnawing at the bellies of millions of Nigerians is a scandal that demands urgent redress. Nigeria’s agricultural heritage—once the pride of West Africa—is being buried under the weight of inept governance, systemic corruption, and misplaced priorities. In the wake of the Tinubu administration’s declaration of a “state of emergency on food security,” the Nigerian government’s insincerity in confronting this crisis is exposed with every failed initiative, delayed action, and hollow promise.
A Nation Starving in Abundance
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, faces a hunger crisis of historic proportions. Current statistics from the World Food Programme paint a grim picture: 26.5 million Nigerians are projected to experience acute hunger during the lean season of 2024, escalating from 18.6 million at the close of 2023. Malnutrition, stunted growth, and the inability to afford healthy diets plague the nation, with 20% of the population undernourished and over 45% of children under five years old suffering from stunted growth.
Poverty and economic instability have left 37% of Nigerians below the poverty line, while skyrocketing food prices render healthy diets unattainable for a staggering 78.7% of the populace. Meanwhile, the global impact of climate change, violent insurgencies in the northeast, and widespread banditry exacerbate food insecurity. This dire landscape underscores the government’s consistent failure to transform Nigeria’s abundant agricultural potential into a reliable source of sustenance for its people.
Empty Rhetoric, Tragic Outcomes
The Tinubu administration’s “state of emergency on food security” promised bold measures. Yet, this pronouncement serves as yet another exercise in futility. The Greener Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme (GHAPP), while ambitious, has struggled to yield tangible results in stabilizing food production and distribution. The glaring disconnect between policy announcements and execution—a hallmark of Nigeria’s governance—remains unbridged.
Further amplifying this failure is the government’s reliance on food imports. Nigeria spent $5.4 billion on food imports in 2021 alone, a figure emblematic of misplaced priorities and neglect of local agriculture. Such reliance leaves the nation vulnerable to global market shocks, deepening the economic woes of ordinary Nigerians already grappling with a 33.8% inflation rate—the highest in 28 years.
Tragedy at Food Fairs: A Testament to Failure
The depth of Nigeria’s food crisis is laid bare by the harrowing scenes at food fairs and distribution events, where massive turnouts routinely descend into chaos. Just this week, two stampedes underscored the human cost of systemic failure. On December 18, a children’s funfair in Ibadan turned fatal, claiming 35 young lives. Three days later, a similar tragedy unfolded in Anambra State, where desperate women lost their lives in a stampede during a food distribution event. These heartbreaking incidents highlight not only the acute hunger Nigerians face but also the abysmal crowd management and planning by government and organizers alike.
These stampedes serve as chilling reminders of the government’s inability to provide a safety net for its most vulnerable citizens. The desperation that drives Nigerians to risk their lives for food distribution reveals the depth of the country’s socio-economic malaise and the moral bankruptcy of its leadership.
A Call to Accountability
It is imperative to mount the blame for this scourge squarely on the federal government. Decades of corruption, mismanagement, and short-sighted policies have eroded Nigeria’s capacity to feed its people. Successive administrations have squandered opportunities to invest in agricultural infrastructure, research, and sustainable practices. Instead, they have prioritized patronage-driven projects that yield little but pad the pockets of the politically connected.
Programs like the National Multi-Sectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition (NMPFAN) and the National Commodity Board, while well-intentioned, have been undercut by corruption, logistical inefficiencies, and inadequate stakeholder engagement. These failures demand scrutiny, accountability, and a paradigm shift in governance.
The Path Forward: Recommendations for Sustainable Solutions
Nigeria’s hunger crisis, while dire, is not insurmountable. Addressing this challenge requires decisive action on multiple fronts:
1. Invest in Local Agriculture:
– Prioritize funding for small holder farmers who constitute the backbone of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
– Provide subsidies for fertilizers, improved seeds, and modern farming equipment to enhance productivity.
– Encourage youth participation in agriculture through targeted training and incentives, curbing urban migration and unemployment.
2. Reform Agricultural Policy and Governance:
– Establish transparency and accountability mechanisms to ensure effective utilization of agricultural budgets.
– Empower local governments and community-based organizations to oversee the implementation of food security initiatives.
– Engage stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, and private sector players, in policy formulation and execution.
3. Tackle Insecurity:
– Deploy resources to end the Boko Haram insurgency and armed banditry that disrupt agricultural activities.
– Enhance security in rural areas to allow farmers to work their lands without fear of attack.
4. Address Climate Change:
– Invest in climate-resilient agricultural practices, such as drought-resistant crops and water conservation techniques.
– Support reforestation and soil reclamation projects to mitigate the impact of environmental degradation.
5. Strengthen Food Distribution Systems:
– Expand food bank networks and improve logistics to ensure timely delivery of aid to vulnerable populations.
– Develop efficient storage and transportation systems to reduce post-harvest losses.
6. Empower Communities:
– Promote community-based food production and distribution models that enhance local resilience.
– Facilitate public-private partnerships to scale successful grassroots initiatives.
Conclusion: A Moral Imperative
The endemic hunger in Nigeria is a stain on the conscience of the nation. It reflects the cumulative failures of a government that has prioritized rhetoric over results, corruption over compassion, and complacency over courage. Yet, within this crisis lies an opportunity for transformation.
The federal government must rise above partisan interests to champion policies that address the structural drivers of food insecurity. It must act with urgency to restore dignity to millions of Nigerians whose lives hang precariously on the edge of starvation. For the Nigerian people, the time has come to demand accountability, advocate for systemic change, and embrace sustainable practices that can lift the nation out of hunger’s shadow.
The future of Nigeria’s children, its women, and its most vulnerable citizens depends on the actions taken today. Hunger is not merely an economic issue—it is a moral one. And Nigeria’s leaders, as stewards of the nation’s destiny, must confront this scourge with the seriousness it deserves. For in the fight against hunger lies the essence of justice, humanity, and national survival.
Engineer Chidi Eke; a public affairs commentator and a political analyst writes from Abuja FCT Nigeria
