One year after the federal government declared a state of emergency on food security, the impact of the initiative remains a topic of debate among stakeholders.
On July 13, 2023, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency to address the escalating food crisis; however, despite several interventions, food insecurity in Nigeria has remained dire.
With the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) report projecting that 31.5 million Nigerians are currently at high risk of acute food insecurity, from the estimated 25 million affected last year, Nigerians have lamented that this emergency declaration is yet to make any difference to them.
LEADERSHIP reports that Nigerians have been grappling with a persistent food inflation which has worsened in recent months to about 40.66%, driven mostly by factors such as currency devaluation, challenges in food transportation and distribution which have contributed to price hikes while insecurity on the other hand hampers agricultural activities, causing reduced food production.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), there has been a dramatic increase in the prices of staple foods in Nigeria in the period of 2023 and 2024. This surge has significantly impacted the cost of living for many Nigerians, especially those in lower-income brackets.
Between 2023 and 2024, prices of rice have soared by over 150 percent while garri has seen a price increase of around 135 percent. Other staples like beans, bread, beef, and vegetables have also experienced significant price hikes.
Some Nigerians who spoke to LEADERSHIP lamented that despite the declaration of the state of the emergency on food security, the sharp rise in food prices has led to their increased hardship, reduced their purchasing power and exacerbated poverty.
The national president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, described the government's efforts as a work in progress, urging for greater transparency in the implementation of programmes aimed at ensuring food affordability, which he considers essential to achieving food security.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, Ibrahim emphasised that while efforts have been made, more needs to be done, particularly in addressing the root causes of the food security crisis.
Ibrahim called for a more aggressive approach in combating banditry, especially in key agricultural production areas.
"We ask for more action on the insecurity issue by addressing it in the affected areas; for example, taking the fight to the bandits in identified production areas, decimate them, and then move to other areas until they are completely overpowered", he said.
Ibrahim also highlighted the pressing challenges currently facing farmers, including limited access to affordable inputs such as fertilisers and agrochemicals, and the ongoing insecurity that limits agricultural productivity.
He urged the government to take "more serious action" in these areas to mitigate the impact on food security.
Mr Joseph Yakubu, a resident of Orozo community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), told LEADERSHIP that he thought the declaration of a state of emergency as announced by the President last year would change things but was dismayed to see food prices tripled after the declaration.
Yakubu, who is also a trader cum smallholder farmer, said there remains largely unresolved food affordability crisis and depleting purchasing power among households.
He said, "I was optimistic about the declaration of the state of emergency on food security last year. I heard it on radio but I think that development is yet to impact in us. I haven't seen any change since then, rather everything has (prices of commodities) has gone beyond our reach.
"My belief is that maybe government should bring back the time of fuel subsidy payments which I think is responsible for all this high cost of living."
A teacher, Mr Danladi Yusuf, called for long term solutions, stating that declaration of state of emergency alone won't suffice.
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He said that government needs sustainable policies to address agricultural productivity, storage, and distribution networks which he considered as essential.
Yusuf said, "I have been hearing in the news that government has been giving rice to people but nothing has ever reached us here in Orozo. I don't think the state of emergency on food security has helped in any because we have not seen the impact."
Another Abuja resident, Mrs Gloria Audu lamented the unseriousness of the part of the government to address the high cost of food currently being experienced by Nigerians.
She told LEADERSHIP that she was yet to see tangible improvements in people's daily lives since the declaration of the state of the emergency on food security last year.
"Yes I'm aware of the state of emergency on food security but I have my doubt about it; until we see visible improvements in food affordability, only then can we confidently say that government is serious," she said.
