A vote for state of emergency on food insecurity

With the prices of foodstuffs skyrocketing across the country, the recent declaration of a state of emergency on food insecurity and clear-cut deliverables in the immediate, medium and long terms, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should inspire possible reprieve for the suffering Nigerians and we wholeheartedly back the federal government’s action plan for changing the narrative for good.

 

The pronouncement, which amongst others entails the immediate release of grains from the national reserve, the supply of fertilizers to farmers and other agricultural inputs among others in our view, is not only apt and timely but will give deserved priority attention to mass food production, preservation, accessibility, affordability and availability in a matter of few months as citizens can no longer stay hungry for too long.

 

We strongly demand that, unlike our past experiences, the states and local governments should be actively involved especially in mobilizing the peasants and small-scale farmers for them to contribute immensely to achieving the set objectives of the current emergency intervention in the agricultural sector and food processing and supply chain which account for about 35.21 per cent of employment in Nigeria (as at 2021), according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS.

 

But prior to the declaration and even under the watch of the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari administration, many families were wallowing in hunger induced by food scarcity and galloping prices such that food inflation rose to 24.82 per cent in May from 24.61 per cent in April as against Nigeria’s annual inflation rate spike to 22.41 per cent in May from 22.22 per cent in the previous month.

 

Regrettably, however, the situation was further aggravated by the incumbent President Tinubu, who during the inauguration on May 29, without adequate planning for mitigating measures, suddenly ended the subsidy regime for premium motor spirit, PMS popularly called fuel with a litre of the product now costing as much as over N590 in most parts of the country as against a minimum price of N185 per litre in the morning of May 29, 2023, when he received the mantle of leadership from Buhari.

 

Therefore, we firmly believe that the presidential intervention on food security, food pricing and sustainability initiative unveiled recently by Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy wasn’t only borne out of necessity but held the potential of ameliorating the current hunger in the land whereby the cost of most stable food items are getting beyond the reach of many citizens. For instance, a 50kg bag of rice now sells for over N33,000.

 

Similarly, no effort should be spared in attaining food security defined as “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” which revolves around four main dimensions namely physical availability; economic and physical access to food; food utilization and stability of the other three dimensions over time.

 

Consequently, we welcome the federal government’s concern about the increasing cost of food and its adverse effects on the citizens as affordability has been a major issue for many Nigerians in all parts of the country which has resulted in a significant drop in demand and seriously undermines the viability of the entire agriculture and food value chain with the working class and vulnerable people hardest hit.

 

However, highlights of the presidential directives on the worsening food situation include, “that a state of emergency on food security be announced immediately, and all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council” while a “number of initiatives will be deployed in the coming weeks to reverse this inflationary trend and guarantee future uninterrupted supplies of affordable foods to ordinary Nigerians” as well as immediate, medium- and long-term interventions and solutions.

 

According to the government, the immediate term includes the rapiddeployment of some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into agriculture with emphasis on revamping the agricultural sector; immediate release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households; an urgent synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is produced all year round and to create and support a National Commodity Board that will review and “continuously assess food prices as well as maintain a strategic food reserve that will be used as a price stabilization mechanism for critical grains and other food items” in order to moderate spikes and dips in food prices.

 

As further steps, critical stakeholders including, the National Commodity Exchange (NCX), Seed Companies, National Seed Council and Research Institutes, NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, Food Processing/ Agric Processing Associations, private sector holders & Prime Anchors, smallholder farmers, crop associations and fertilizer producers, blenders and suppliers associations to mention a few have been recruited into food chain programmes.

 

More importantly, the government promised to overhaul its security architecture to protect the farms and the farmers so that they can return to the farmlands without fear of attacks by bandits or herders, encouraging the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to continue with its major role in funding the agricultural value chain, activation of land banks, mechanization and land clearing, revitalization of the 11 river basins that will ensure the planting of crops during the dry season and intensification of irrigation schemes that will guarantee continuous farming production all year round, to stem the seasonal glut and scarcity usually experienced, as well as deployment of concessionary capital/funding to the sector, especially towards fertilizer, processing, mechanization, seeds, chemicals, equipment, feed, labour amongst several measures.

 

It is, however, heart warming that the state of emergency declaration has received the full backing of governors through the National Economic Council, NEC after they were intimated with the proposal by the permanent secretary in the federal ministry of Agriculture and rural development, Dr. Ernest Umakhiheat their recent meeting, further entails massive support to smallholder farmers with agricultural equipment, such farm inputs as seeds, seedlings, agro-chemicals and growth enhancers among others, and build their capacity on good agronomic practices, training and capacity building agents as well as strengthen agricultural extension services.

 

Therefore, since food ranks high in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs as one of the basic necessities of life coupled with the axiom that a hungry man is an angry man, we demand that all hands should be on deck in ensuring successful implementation of the outlined measures to achieve food security not only in the short run but for the country to be in good stead to produce arable and cash crops in surplus both for local consumption and exports thereby boosting employment and foreign exchange for the country. She must no longer rely on crude oil as the leading foreign exchange earner.

 

We strongly counsel that all factors hitherto militating against the nation’s quest to attain self-sufficiency in food production and processing ranging from worsening insecurity in the North Central states of Benue, Plateau and Niger, inadequate funding of the agricultural sector, herders-farmers clashes, shortage of fertilizer and other agricultural inputs, poor irrigation system to the difficulty by farmers, fishermen and livestock breeders to access bank loans, should be addressed holistically as part of the emergency measures in order to break the lingering jinx of food insecurity and save many Nigerians from hunger and looming starvation.

 

Significantly too, governors of the 36 states should henceforth take rural development more seriously by increasing budgetary allocation and channeling the windfall from the federation account emanating from the petrol subsidy removal to the sector to provide basic amenities like potable water, electricity, healthcare and good roads to rural dwellers in order to attract and retain young graduates and school leavers in the hinterlands in order to join forces with aging farmers and fishermen in the latest push to achieve food security for all in the country.

 

For a better society

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