Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has announced a state of emergency in food security, as the country faces a worsening hunger crisis. The government plans to address the affordability of food by providing immediate support to farmers and creating a strategic food reserve. Long-term measures include clearing land for cultivation and improving irrigation systems. Nigeria, already grappling with the presence of extremist groups like Boko Haram, aims to increase the agriculture sector's employment share to 70%. International organizations have warned of a potential catastrophic humanitarian situation if aid is not increased rapidly.
Lagos, 14th July - Nigeria's President, Bola Tinubu, has declared a state of emergency in food security in response to warnings of a severe hunger crisis in the country.
The affordability of food has become a major concern for many Nigerians, with rising food prices affecting citizens across the country. While availability is not a significant issue, accessibility to affordable food has become a pressing concern.
In immediate response to the crisis, the Nigerian government plans to provide farmers with fertilizers and seeds to mitigate the effects of subsidy removal. Additionally, a strategic food reserve will be created to stabilize the prices of cereals and other food items.
The government also intends to implement long-term measures to address food security. This includes clearing forested areas for cultivation, improving food storage facilities and transportation, and developing irrigation systems along major river basins in the country.
"Agriculture already accounts for around 35.21% of employment in Nigeria, but our goal is to raise this percentage to nearly 70%," stated President Tinubu's spokesperson, Dele Alake.
In May, the United Nations called for urgent assistance to prevent a "catastrophic" hunger and malnutrition crisis in northeastern Nigeria, a stronghold of extremist groups such as Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that over half a million people could reach emergency levels of food insecurity, resulting in high rates of acute malnutrition and mortality.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has reported an "unprecedented" increase in hospitalizations of malnourished children in the northeastern state of Borno this year. The organization has also noted a high number of malnourished patients in its facilities in the northwestern part of the country.
In the northwestern region, approximately 8.4 million people are experiencing food insecurity, meaning they lack sufficient access to nutritious food for a healthy life, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The declaration of a state of emergency in food security shows Nigeria's commitment to addressing the growing hunger crisis. Implementing both immediate and long-term measures will be crucial in preventing a further deterioration of the situation in a country already grappling with multiple challenges.
Source of content: OOO News 2023-07-14 News
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