It is disturbing that Nigeria has, once again, been classified as one of the countries facing acute hunger in the world. In a recent report, the United Nations (UN) listed it and 12 other countries as hunger hotspots of the world. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) also warned of severe food insecurity in the country. The Director-General of the group, Dr. Chinyere Alumona, said “the recent spate of herdsmen-farmers’ clashes in the Middle Belt and the flooding disasters are negative signals capable of limiting food harvests this year.”
The UN warned that worsening food crises stemming from conflicts and displacements would intensify in the 13 hotspot-countries over the coming months. The Hunger Hotspot report, released recently by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), noted that the countries in the hunger hotspots would experience the most severe levels of food insecurity.
Countries of highest concern include Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali. Citizens of these five countries, the report adds, face immediate risk of starvation and death without urgent humanitarian action and a coordinated international effort to de-escalate conflict, stem displacement, and mount an urgent full-scale aid response. Listed as hotspots of very high concern that require urgent attention to save lives and livelihoods are Nigeria, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Myanmar. Other hunger hotspots include Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia and Syria.
The Director-General of FAO, QU Dongyu, said “we must act now, and act together, to save lives and safeguard livelihoods. Protecting people’s farms and animals to ensure they can keep producing food where they are, even in the toughest and harshest conditions, is not just urgent – it is essential.”
This is not the first time Nigeria has been listed in this league of hunger hotspots. In 2022, the country was similarly listed together with 19 other countries.
Besides, in a joint report in 2024, five agencies of the United Nations: the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) World Health Organisation (WHO) World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) similarly noted that 733 million people in Africa and some other continents faced hunger in 2023.
The joint report tagged, ‘the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World,’ says the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4 per cent) while it remains stable in Asia (8.1 per cent) and shows some progress in Latin America (6.2 per cent). It was predicted that 82 million Nigerians, or 64 per cent of the country’s population, might go hungry by 2030.
Intensifying conflicts, economic shock, and natural hazards were identified as part of the factors driving millions towards starvation. The North-Central region of Nigeria is the food basket of the country. But in recent times, there have been renewed attacks on communities in this area.
In April 2025, some terrorists suspected to be Fulani herdsmen attacked some communities in Plateau State and killed hundreds of innocent citizens. Benue State is still reeling from similar attacks which have led to the killing of hundreds of people. Millions of others have been displaced.
The President’s removal of fuel subsidy on assumption of office in May 2023 is another causative factor. This singular action, coupled with the floating of the exchange rate, contributed to the hardship and hunger ravaging the land. Many people cannot afford the basic things of life anymore. Consequently, there were hunger protests and looting of warehouses by youths in some parts of the country last year. Adamawa, Niger, Kaduna, Ogun and Taraba states, among others, were affected. A number of people have died of hunger-related illnesses as well.
There is need for sustained interventions to reduce food insecurity, and save lives and livelihoods. The Federal Government must eliminate terrorism in Plateau, Benue and other food baskets of the country. It should ensure maximum protection of farmers and citizens so that farming activities will never ever be disrupted.
Amid the recent killings, President Bola Tinubu belatedly visited Benue State last week to see things for himself. The President should rather rally round his security chiefs and deal with this spate of insecurity once and for all. Nigeria needs pragmatic leadership at these trying times. Government should also show more empathy to the downtrodden and victims of insecurity and hunger by cutting down on waste. The spate of official expenditure on exotic items amid acute poverty and hunger presents the government as being uncaring.
The government should remove Nigeria from the hunger hotspot list by improving the country’s food production capacity. It should give incentives and subventions to farmers, encourage the modernization of our agriculture through biotechnology.
On their part, farmers should go into mechanized and all-season farming and embrace genetically engineered seeds that will improve crop yields. Nigeria has abundant human and material resources, including arable land and water resources, to feed all her citizens and ensure food security. With these, the country should have no pact with hunger.