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Oxfam Nigeria and some other international agencies have warned that West Africa is currently experiencing food crisis as 27 million people in the sub-region are reportedly hungry. They also predicted that additional 11 million people will likely be affected by food crisis in the next three months in the region. Oxfam Nigeria disclosed that food crisis has been more acute across West Africa, especially in Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Nigeria.
The damning report was made by 11 international organisations in response to the March 2022 analysis of food and nutrition crisis in the sub-region. Some of the international agencies that raised the alarm include Oxfam Nigeria, Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, CARE International, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), Tearfund and World Vision (WV).
According to Oxfam’s regional director for West and Central Africa, Assalama Dawalack Sidi, the situation has been worsened by drought, floods, conflict, and the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has displaced millions of people. Sidi says that over the past decade, far from abating, food crises have been increasing across the West African region.
Nigeria is feared to be the hardest hit by the food crisis. Already, about 19.4 million people are estimated to face food insecurity in the country between June and August 2022, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The United Nations food agency says that 14.4 million people, including 385,000 IDPs in 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), are already grappling with food crisis.
The report identified insecurity, especially insurgency in the North East states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, banditry in North West states such as Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna, as well as clashes between herders and farmers in the North Central states of Benue and Niger as key drivers of the food crisis.
The warning by the international organisations came on the heels of the alarm by Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), that the on-going Russia-Ukraine war will increase the prices of wheat and other cereals. Similarly, Nigeria’s former envoy to Ukraine, Frank Isoh, has urged world super powers to prevent further escalation of the Russia/Ukraine crisis because of increasing food crisis in Africa on account of the war.
Nigeria and other countries in West Africa must do something urgently to stem the food crisis in the region. In Nigeria, the clashes between herders and farmers in the North Central zone and the general insecurity in the North have adversely affected food production in the country. The insurgency in the North East has also affected the nation’s food security. In 2020, more than 43 rice farmers were killed by Boko Haram insurgents at Koshebe village in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State. The killing of farmers by the insurgents is not restricted to Borno State alone.
The neglect of agriculture because of the discovery of oil wealth is another reason for food scarcity in the country. The impact of climate change on farming has equally affected food production. It is sad that despite the Federal Government’s investments in agriculture and the interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BOI), and others, many Nigerians are facing food crisis.
For government to ensure that Nigeria attains food security, farmers should be given adequate security to enable them access their farms. Security of life and property must be prioritised by the government. Since food is one of the basic needs of man, every effort should be made to ensure that it is available, accessible and affordable. Allowing the prevailing food crisis to linger will exacerbate the general insecurity across the country.
Let the government and farmers embrace high-yield seedlings to boost food crop production. There is need for the states and federal government to increase the budgetary allocations for the agricultural sector. Mechanised farming remains the best way to enhance our food security. Farmers should be assisted with soft loans, grants and other incentives to optimise their potential in the sector. There is also the need to encourage the youths to get more involved in agriculture as against the trend of depending so much on white-collar jobs.
The warning by the international organisations is a wake-up call on the country to develop its agriculture and ensure food sufficiency. The Russia-Ukraine war, which has affected wheat imports, should make us to look inwards and encourage more local production of wheat and other cereals. Interestingly, Nigeria has enough arable land to grow food for its citizens.
