Nigeria declares “state of emergency” over food insecurity

Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has proclaimed a focus on the country’s food security due to a significant rise in hunger as observed by humanitarian organizations.

The initiative covers the availability and cost of food and water, and the National Security Council will supervise these matters, as stated by Dele Alake, the presidential spokesperson.

The government aims to counter the issue of food affordability for many Nigerians by initiating immediate delivery of fertilizer and seeds to farmers and establishing a “strategic food reserve” for price stabilization.

Moreover, long-term strategies include the development of cultivable land, enhancement of food storage and transport, and the establishment of irrigation systems.

The goal is to increase the contribution of agriculture to Nigeria’s employment from 35.21% to 70%.

The urgency of this intervention is underscored by UN’s earlier warnings about potential severe malnutrition and mortality crisis in Nigeria.

Specifically in regions like Borno and the northwest, various organizations have reported significant food insecurity and malnutrition-related hospitalizations.

In that region, some 8.4 million people are food insecure, meaning they do not have access to enough food to lead a healthy life

More than half a million people may suffer emergency levels of food insecurity, with extremely high rates of acute malnutrition and mortality.

Nigeria is a country in West Africa and covers an area of 923,769 square kilometres, and with a population of over 230 million.

It is the most populous country in Africa, and the world’s sixth-most populous nation.

It is the largest economy in Africa, followed by Egypt and South Africa.