There have been protests in Kano, Osogbo in Osun State, and Minna in Niger State against the high cost of living in Nigeria. Many citizens used the protests to express their anger and frustration over the excruciating hardship in the country. The food crisis has further exacerbated the suffering of the masses.
The situation is dire. Since the present government removed fuel subsidy in May last year, there has been an upswing in the prices of almost every commodity in the market. A visit to the market reveals that the price of a 50kg bag of rice, for instance, is N70,000 on the average, or even more, depending on the brand. We recall that the 50kg of rice was less than N10,000 a few years ago. An average tuber of yam which used to sell for N1,000 last year now goes for about N3,000.
In statistical terms, the rate of inflation as of May 2023 was 22.41 per cent. By December 2023, it had climbed to 28.92 per cent, the highest in more than 27 years. Food inflation is worse. It rose to 33.93 per cent as of December 2023. Obviously, it will be worse by now.
There triggers of the food crisis and high cost of living are many. The major one is the spate of insecurity in the country. From the North-West to South-West, from the North-East to South-East and from the North-Central to South-South, the spate of insecurity in the country, especially kidnapping, is unbearable. Many innocent citizens have fallen victims. Farmers are forced to abandon their farms. The North-Central states of Benue and Plateau appear to be the worst hit as Fulani herdsmen occasionally invade their farms, kill many of them while their cows destroy the farmers’ crops.
It is not hidden that some bad policies of government exacerbated the problem. The impromptu removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the exchange rate compounded the problem. Today, the exchange rate is about N1,500 to a dollar. Many companies are finding it difficult to break even. Some have invariably folded up or relocated to other countries.
The result is that many breadwinners can no longer provide food on the table for their families. Either they have lost their jobs or the take-home pay hardly takes them home. A lot of people have resigned to fate, not knowing when or where the next meal will come from. The disposable income of many citizens has gone very low. Generally, Nigerians are at their wits’ end.
The situation is capable of affecting the health of millions of Nigerians. Since children are more vulnerable in a situation like this, some of them can suffer kwashiorkor and other related ailments. Without adequate nutrition, adults are likely to be affected by some diseases as well. Food insecurity can lead to a national crisis with dire consequences.
It is pertinent to note that what triggered the French Revolution in 1789 was the shortage and high cost of bread. The Russian Revolution of 1917 was also triggered largely by poor economy and corruption. Even the most recent Arab Spring which started from Tunisia in 2010 was triggered by hardship, joblessness, corruption and inequality.
Obviously, things are getting out of hand and time is running out. It is high time the government faced the truth. Good enough, the Federal Government has convened an emergency meeting to address the protests arising from the high cost of food items across the country. Already in place is a Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention to help tackle the food crisis in the country.
Already, government has ordered the immediate release of 42,000 metric tonnes of maize, millet, garri and other commodities from the national grain reserve. Government is also said to have held meetings with Rice Millers Association of Nigeria and the millers have guaranteed about 60,000 metric tonnes of rice. Government has threatened to sanction food hoarders as well.
Beyond the interim measures, we need a sustainable solution to the food crisis. Government should address the causative factors of this high cost of living. It must tackle insecurity and protect farmers and other Nigerians so that there will be more production of food in the country.
We must return to agriculture. Let farmers embrace mechanised and all-season farming so as to produce better and high-yielding crops for consumption and for export. There should be incentives to food companies to enable them to produce food in abundance and stem the ugly situation. Government should stop playing politics and start real governance. The food crisis is an emergency government must address holistically.