The growing fear of a food crisis in Nigeria has been given credence by the country’s poor ranking on the recent Global Hunger Index (GHI) of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The index grouped Nigeria among the countries with a high level of hunger threat, with an index of 14.7 compared with Ghana’s 7.8. Higher index scores, the report said, indicate higher levels of hunger threat in the rated countries.
This report should be a wake-up call to the Federal Government on the need to rev up its food sufficiency programmes, to which N720 billion has been committed in the last one year. The document, which focused on “hidden hunger”, was compiled by the International Food Policy Research Institute. It placed the level of hunger threat in Nigeria at “serious”, while that of Ghana was described as “moderate”.
Coming one year before the United Nations’ 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the report noted that regardless of the progress made by countries listed as having high level of hunger such as Nigeria, “hidden hunger” is a critical aspect of the food insecurity problem that has often been overlooked. This is hunger related to micronutrients deficiency. This aspect of hunger is reported to afflict about two billion people around the world.
The fact of micronutrient deficiency in many Nigerians can hardly be disputed. With the high poverty and unemployment rates in the country, it is no news that large numbers of Nigerians are not feeding well enough to have the required amount of micronutrients in their diets. Unfortunately, the shortage of these essential vitamins and minerals can have long-term and sometimes irreversible effects on health, as well as socio-economic consequences such as poor productivity that can also take a toll on a country’s economy.
Although the Federal Government may be right in its claims that it has made appreciable progress in its food self-sufficiency programmes, especially in maize, rice, cassava and sorghum production, with an estimated yield of 8.1 metric tonnes of food added to the nation’s food supply chain, the high cost of these staple food items is a clear indication that Nigeria is not yet at food sufficiency destination.
Again, the government’s claims that it has reduced the number of Nigerians suffering from extreme hunger from 19.31million in 2010 to 13.38 million in 2013 is well below the MDG target of 9.7 percent set for 2015.
Worse still, current statistics show that about 55 percent of the Nigerian population is under-nourished, while over 20,000 Nigerians reportedly die daily as a result of hunger, with the North-Eastern States of the country most hit on account of the insurgency in the area which has forced many farmers to abandon their farmlands. This sorry situation, and flooding in some parts of the North in the last one year, have pushed up prices of foodstuff. Reports also indicate that more than 1.4 million children in the North are at risk of severe malnutrition. This is a serious challenge that is unacceptable in a country that is blessed with many hectares of arable farmland.
It will be recalled that FAO had in a statement last year warned that Sahel States in northern Nigeria would face acute hunger unless government made concerted efforts to check looming food scarcity, especially at the flashpoints of the insurgency.
We, therefore, urge the government to see agriculture not just as an economic activity, but a means of making nutritious food available to the people at affordable prices. The authorities need to address the rising hunger and unemployment levels in the country, if there is to be any hope of a well nourished population. According to a recent World Bank report, about 22 percent of Nigeria’s population is jobless, while half of 15 to 24-year-olds in urban areas cannot find work. Some of them turn to untoward activities such as stealing, kidnapping, prostitution and terrorism, instead of productive ventures like farming that can aid food sufficiency.
Altogether, hunger reduction is possible through public and private investment in small and large-scale farming at both the grassroots and urban centres, to complement government’s efforts. There should also be access to credit as well as provision of storage facilities. Food security is imperative to check severe hunger and the debilitating impact of a poorly nourished population.
