82 million Nigerians at risk of hunger, says Peter Obi

By Madu Obi

The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, has said that 82 million Nigerians are at the risk of severe hunger, lamenting that Nigeria now ranks among the top 20 most food insecure countries globally.

According to Obi, by August 2024, more than 31.8 million Nigerians were experiencing severe food shortages due to escalating security issues and the removal of fuel subsidies.

He said: “It was also reported that 15.6 million Nigerian children are grappling with hunger. The United Nations has also warned that 82 million Nigerians could face hunger by 2030 if urgent steps are not taken to address food insecurity.

In the past, I was concerned that many Nigerian households spent most of their income on food, leaving little to no room for savings or other essentials. Today, it is even more painful to see that many households can no longer afford even the most basic sustenance.

These distressing reports are just a glimpse of the harsh reality. For years, I have consistently argued that moving our country from consumption to production is the only viable solution to tackling food insecurity and lifting the nation out of this crisis.

“Severe hunger has now tragically become a member of many Nigerian households. This is a nation that was once considered the giant of Africa, with the most arable land on the continent.

To combat hunger, we should target investment in agriculture, focusing on improving security to allow farmers to return to their lands and adopting modern mechanized farming techniques."

Obi emphasized the immense potential of Nigeria’s uncultivated lands, particularly in the North, coupled with the nation’s large population.

He cited example with Niger State, which, according to him, is twice the size of the Netherlands in land area and yet it struggles to feed itself, while the Netherlands exports over $100 billion worth of agricultural products annually.”

He noted that the food crisis has worsened significantly, with prices continuing to climb and hunger escalating into a national emergency.

Citing a recent food security update from the World Bank, Obi warned that Nigeria’s food crisis has been likened to that of war-torn countries like Yemen, where acute food shortages and widespread hunger prevail.

"We must invest deliberately in agriculture. It is disheartening that despite our richly blessed, fertile lands, Nigeria is suffering from a deepening food crisis,” he added.