Nigeria’s food insecurity and the urgency for action (2) 

Hunger is one discomforting situation that every government must view seriously as a sensitive issue that demands emergency attention. If this subject of food insecurity is viewed from a strategic point, hunger, therefore, being neither a pleasant experience nor a pleasurable companion, particularly to human beings, it implies that national insecurity is imminent. It also means that the economy could be thrown into another dimension of chaos, through hungry and angered men and women in the economy becoming unruly citizens in an ungovernable environment, which could amount to a dangerous development for the government. It would then be obvious that the centre may not hold at that point for good governance; if in any given economy, the citizens are constantly faced with this unfriendly guest in the issues of stomach infrastructure. Food is known as one vital need of man that any responsible and serious minded government should not ignore or joke with because, it is most important to man, as life’s existence is directly supported by the quality, uninterrupted supply, optimal and adequate provision of food on daily basis; for the purpose of achieving sound health and energy dissipation in man’s daily activities.

Food insecurity has become threatening in the country as the rate of poverty amongst Nigerians is very alarming these days. It is on record (statistically) that between 2020 and 2022 (averagely), 21.3 percent of Nigeria’s population experienced hunger, while it is currently worse with the projected 26.5 million people across Nigeria (by the World Food Programme) feared to face acute hunger. People no longer meet up the hyperinflation in the costs of all commodities within the economy, based on the simple fact that their respective disposable income (at various social levels) has been diminishing faster than ever, as their purchasing power continually gets weaker by the day (especially amongst the salaried employees or paid workers/citizens within the economy). The worsening economic situation is a matter that governmental agencies established to monitor and control economic and commercial activities (like the consumer price protection agency) have completely lost grips of. It is, indeed, no man’s fault because the miserably weak value of the local currency has remained the primary source of the financial economic confusion of the country.

The solution to all these national challenges, with specific reference to food insecurity, is to boost agriculture at all governmental levels for strategic management of change with appropriate food farming strategy to ensure effectiveness in food availability and sustainable food production within the economy. Managing it involves attracting investors along the food value chain for value addition through food processing for finished products, to strategically propel efficiency in Nigeria’s agricultural sector. This proffered solution shall cub the challenges of people not having enough to eat or wouldn’t know where the next meal will come from; because food shall be provided in excess, such that supply will exceed demand, which will eventually force down costs of food commodities even in the face of the nation’s financial economic turmoil. Through farmers’ cooperatives and proper engagement of the small holder farmers with the necessary tools and being adequately equipped by the government; one can conveniently speculate that the outcome and impact of such moves shall bear fruitful results with high productivity contribution to the economy, from that sub-sector.

The government needs (at all levels) to fight every known cause of food insecurity with a zero tolerance strategy; ranging from food inflation and the rising food prices, to other causes like the climate change issues and communal conflicts and clashes that include armed banditry against local farmers (which has also seriously affected food access through persistent violence in some parts of the country). In addition, any suspected key driver of the alarming trend as presently witnessed needs to be completely dismantled, to usher in sustainable food security that shall augur well for national economic growth and development. This approach of sustainable food security remains the way forward because it is the indispensable option and the prerequisite for the survival of mankind and the nation’s economic activities. Otherwise, without food, man cannot function, and may not even exist as hunger could lead to death. The government is therefore urged to take the business of food production, from the agricultural point of view, very seriously, to avert food insecurity in Nigeria.

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