ADDRESSING GROWING FOOD CRISIS
The authorities must do more to curb widespread insecurity
Authorities in Nigeria should be worried that our country featured in the recently released Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) regarding acute food insecurity. Ten countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen—accounted for two-thirds of all people facing high levels of acute hunger. “Conflict remains the primary driver of acute food insecurity and malnutrition for millions around the world, with outright famine emerging in two conflict-affected areas in the same year—an unprecedented development,” according to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in the foreword to the 2026 report. “This report is a call to action urging global leaders to summon the political will to rapidly scale up investment in lifesaving aid, and work to end the conflicts that inflict so much suffering on so many.”
Going forward, the authorities must first admit that there is a serious humanitarian crisis regarding hunger. No matter the spin officials put on the issue, emerging facts suggest that there is food shortage in many parts of the country that has led to desperation. And unless something is done urgently, many people may die of hunger. This is therefore the time to act to avert the looming catastrophe. Living in denial, like most government officials do, is not helpful in any way.
Even before the report, critical stakeholders were well aware of the challenge of food scarcity, especially in the Northeast where there has been insurgency for almost two decades. Right now, in the most affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, millions of our nationals are said to be in need of humanitarian assistance, with more than 50 per cent of them, children. They need food, water, sanitation, protection, shelter, and health services. Insecurity has contributed to limited agricultural activities; disrupted trade flows and worsened food insecurity.
For years, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) have warned repeatedly that millions of Nigerians are at the risk of hunger as prices of foodstuff skyrocket. In the most recent National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report titled, ‘Nigeria General Household Survey (Wave 5)’, approximately two out of three households in the country indicated being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money. Similarly, 63.8 per cent of households ate only a few kinds of food due to lack of money; 62.4 per cent were worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5 per cent ate less than they thought they should.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which protects and defends the rights of every child across 190 countries and regions, has called for immediate attention to the challenge. “We must not repeat the tragedy of the 2011 famine in the Horn of Africa”, warned UNICEF which also highlighted the fact that the severe malnutrition and looming famine were largely man-made, and that common humanity demanded faster action.
Recent data compiled by an international e-commerce organisation also revealed that the average Nigerian household spends about 60 per cent of its income on food, one of the highest in the world. Yet, at a period when millions of citizens are living with hunger, there is also widespread waste of scarce resources by public officials. With the fear of malnutrition for millions of children (and mothers) who are deprived of a healthy and productive life, the situation is already dire. This is where public-spirited individuals and humanitarian organisations must come in to work towards alleviating the problem of hunger in the country.