Expert tasks FG, Nigerians on right to Food Act

AKOR SYLVESTER, Abuja

As Nigerians continue to lament over the present hardship following the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu, an expert in the food and agriculture sector has urged Nigerians to take advantage of

the Right to Food Act which provides an opportunity to hold the government accountable, if it fails in policy implementation on food security and availability.

The Federal Government recently declared a state of emergency in the food and agriculture sector, a decision applauded by some Nigerians.

But speaking in Abuja at a press conference regarding the Right to Food Act and the Emergency Declaration on Food Security by the Federal Government, the President, of Farm and Infrastructure Foundation (FIF) and Chairman, of Voices for Food Security (VFS), Prof. Gbolagade Ayoola, enjoined Nigerians to leverage on the Act to put government on the right track in terms of its responsibility on food protection.

The Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy, whose organisation midwife the passing into law of the Right to Food bill, said though the Act will not operate as an apology of State socialism in Nigeria, whereby the government will be required to provide food for the people free of charge but it is a policy responsibility and accountability whereby the people are empowered to take the government to account.

He said, “The obligation of government in a regime of Right to Food is to respect the right of citizens to food, protect the right of the citizens to food and to fulfil the right of the citizens to food.

“By and large, and in practical terms, the Act implies that the right to food is henceforth a constitutional right in Nigeria and that, subject to judicial determination, the right to food, taken together with other laws of the land is actionable, justiciable and ultimately remediable in the county.

“Such law in consonance with the Act particularly includes the right to life, as previously recognised and guaranteed by the constitution.

“Furthermore, the right to food in Nigeria will operate in tandem and nexus with similar provisions for the same in the pre-existing international convention, treaties and other legal instruments to which Nigeria is signatory.”

On his part, the Acting Head of the Programme, Oxfam Nigeria, Dr.

Williams Mafwalal noted that passing the Bill into law is a huge success for Nigeria, stating that Oxfam worked with FIF and others for 13 years before the Bill was passed.

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