Health
Hunger crisis: Why Nigeria must secure agricultural areas — Obi
By Faith Alofe
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has raised the alarm over what he described as an avoidable food crisis ravaging northern Nigeria, following a fresh United Nations report showing that over 17 million people across nine states in the region are facing crisis-level hunger.
Obi, in a post on his X handle on Saturday, said the crisis, described by the World Food Programme as the worst in nearly a decade, was a consequence of what he called incompetent and irresponsible leadership, given that the North remains the country’s food basket.
He said more than 35 million Nigerians nationwide risked slipping into hunger during the ongoing lean season, adding that over 10,000 residents of Borno State had already entered what aid agencies classify as “catastrophic” hunger conditions.
“I am deeply troubled by the latest report from the UN’s World Food Programme, indicating that northern Nigeria is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis in nearly a decade. Over 17 million people in nine northern states face crisis-level hunger, with more than 35 million Nigerians nationwide at risk during this challenging season.
“The fact that over 10,000 residents of Borno State have entered ‘catastrophic’ hunger conditions represents not only immense human suffering but also a profound national failure,” Obi said, noting that Nigeria’s ranking among the world’s hungriest nations was inexcusable given its fertile, largely uncultivated land in the North.
The ex-Anambra governor attributed the crisis to two structural failures, insecurity and the inability of farmers to access their farmlands, saying banditry and insurgent attacks had turned agrarian communities into displacement camps.
“This food crisis stems from two critical structural failures: insecurity and farmers’ inability to access their lands. Banditry and insurgency have turned agrarian communities into displacement zones. Until we secure our agricultural areas, we cannot secure our future,” he said.
Obi called on the Federal Government and state leaders to move beyond political rhetoric and make transparent, upfront investments in securing agricultural corridors and supporting smallholder farmers with accessible resources. He urged closer collaboration with the WFP to bridge funding gaps before the crisis claimed more lives, particularly those of children.
PUNCHONLINE reports that the United Nations World Food Programme had earlier disclosed that the escalating conflict and dwindling humanitarian funding are pushing northern Nigeria into its worst hunger crisis in nearly a decade, with millions of people facing severe food insecurity.
The report, according to Cadre Harmonisé analysis, said more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected states in northern Nigeria are experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger, representing an increase of almost two million people since the previous projections.
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