By Musa Ilallah
The Nigerian Guardian newspaper recently reported that an international documentary index, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) has ranked Nigeria 115th out of 123 countries, with hunger score indicators showing a severe food security crisis driven by a high poverty rate, high inflation, and general insecurity.
GHI anchored it’s findings on comprehensive measurement and tracking of hunger ratings at global, regional, and national levels, based on four component indicators, including Undernourishment, Child Stunting, Child Wasting, and Child Mortality.
It’s indeed very scaring that not much is done by the PBAT administration in taking advantage of the solid foundations laid by the late PMB administration in addressing the country’s food security fortunes thus averting such a terrible rating.
Talking about the negative implications of the latest ranking for food security in Nigeria, the Country Representative of Propcom+ Nigeria, Dr Adiya Ode, had expressed concern that the situation may worsen, considering that over 31.8 million Nigerians are already suffering from acute food insecurity.
Ode, who spoke at a Nutritious Food Fair in Kano, lamented the increasing level of malnutrition and child stunting in Nigeria, compounding the hunger crisis, and advocated a renewed strategy to make food affordable.
Indeed the way out of the country’s festering food crisis challenge is to embark on a ‘renewed’ strategy to make food available and cheaper for all Nigerians by government putting in place food security initiatives through climate-smart and market-driven solutions.
One is optimistic that our situation can be reversed by taking a second look at the PMB formula and strategic approach to addressing the nation’s food security crisis.
What comes to mind readily is for the government to as a matter of strategy make the farmer the centre piece of it’s food security agenda. This can be done by enhancing farmers’ productivity through the provision of cheap and affordable farm inputs and implements like fertiliser, herbicides, festicides, tractors among others.
On its part, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration made several efforts to improve food security in Nigeria. These efforts which yielded results, were aimed at addressing food insecurity, promoting sustainable agriculture, and improving the overall well-being of Nigerians.
Some of such programmes included Anchor Borrowers Programme, ABP, which provided farm inputs and cash to small-scale farmers, boosting production and creating jobs. By 2018, the program had disbursed N55.526 billion to over 250,000 farmers, cultivating almost 300,000 hectares of farmland. Also the presidential Fertilizer Initiative launched in 2016, was aimed at increasing fertilizer production, distribution and improving agricultural productivity.
Worthy of mention is PMB’s Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) inaugurated in 2022 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, AMEDI with the aim of enhancing food security, created jobs by developing agricultural technology and equipment.
The Agriculture Promotion Policy of the PMB administration introduced in 2016, focused on food security, import substitution, job creation, and economic diversification.
Also, a food Security Council was established in 2018, and aimed at developing sustainable solutions to food security challenges, including farmers-herdsmen conflicts and climate change.
Even doubting thomases agree that these PMB initiatives demonstrated the administration’s commitment to improving food security and promoting agricultural development in Nigeria.
Regretably, despite all these efforts to squarely address food insecurity, the matter today remains a significant challenge in the country.
However, the PBAT administration is claiming to have launched several initiatives to boost food security and sustainability in the country. Some of which are enhanced Support for Farmers, Greenhouse Farming, Financial assisstance, Promotion of Eco-Friendly Farming Practices and Advanced Farming Equipment provision among others.
The question Nigerians keep asking is: to what extent has these measures positively impacted the country’s food security architecture?
Most Nigerians would say no improvement has been recorded since PMB’s exit. One only prays that the PBAT administration will sit up in the face of the GHI rating on the country’s appalling food security situation before it gets worse.
The Nigerian government must do all within its powers to give total support to it’s peasant, small and large scale farmers for the current situation to be reversed.
Musa Ilallah a public policy analyst can be reached at musahk123@yahoo.com
