Nigerians have urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to declare a state of emergency in food security, tackle insecurity caused by herders, and initiate a national food production policy.
They argue that distributing palliatives is a misplaced priority and a temporary solution that does not address the root causes of food shortages.
According to political activist Blessing Adima, “Buying grains and rice for distribution to Nigerians is a misplaced priority. It shows that the federal government itself does not care about food production and doesn’t know how to tackle the problems we are facing in Nigeria today.
Herdsmen have chased farmers from their farmlands, and now we import rice that Benue State alone could have produced for Nigeria. The federal government does not know what to do.”
Development consultant Furoebi Akene emphasized the need for a secured environment for farmers to return to their farms. “All efforts should be made for farmers to return to their farms. Beyond that, how honest and patriotic are the people entrusted with the distribution of rice to ensure it gets to the targeted beneficiaries? The same dubious and fraudulent characters will play out.”
Comrade Presley Idi, Secretary of the Ndokwa National Youth Movement (NNYM), stated, “For us, we believe that the pathway to solving the food crisis bedeviling Nigeria right now is to ensure a secured environment for our farmers.
Without providing the needed security for farmers to return to their farms, we will continue to experience food shortages.
Not only are palliatives like the distribution of rice and other food items temporary solutions, but it will always be difficult for the items to get to those who truly need them because of the high level of corruption amongst the political elite.”
Legal practitioner Iniruo Wills criticized the government’s approach, saying, “Extravaganza is not governance, and public spectacle is no strategy. Whenever the government decides to start rational governance, food and other crises will start to subside. That is if it is not too late by then.”
Ebilade Ekerefe, ex-spokesman of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), asserted, “Sharing billions of trailer loads of rice and distributing money as palliatives is not the solution to our food security crisis in the country.
Even if it is a temporary stopgap, it must be noted that the items and monies do not even get to the end users in most cases. Corrupt government officials at the federal, state, and local government levels divert and resell the items to market vendors and make huge profits.”
Educationist Mrs. Edna Rukevwe noted, “It has become clear that President Tinubu did not prepare for economic reactions to his removal of subsidy on petroleum. So, no clear policy direction. Throwing money and food at the problem of hunger in the country is not a solution.
The government should work out modalities to redress insecurity so that farmers can return to the farms. Also, provide fertilizers and allow tax-free importation of farm tools into the country.”
Israel Amanze, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), representing the South East, argued that “distribution of palliatives and trucks of food items to Nigerians is only a temporary measure and not a permanent one to address food insecurity in the country.
The government missed it a long time ago. The way it’s going is not how to take Nigeria out of hunger. They promised to support farmers with inputs, and the rainy season farming for Southern Nigeria is almost over.”
Rights lawyer Ogunbiyi Olajunwo emphasized the need for purposeful investment in food chains and mechanized farming. “The Federal Government doesn’t have its priorities right.
The first thing the current administration should have done immediately it came to power was to open the borders. Nothing was hindering us from importing food.
We are not self-sufficient in food production. We are not even at war with our neighbors, so why are we closing the borders to food coming in?”
Small-scale women farmers in Nigeria also stressed the importance of supporting smallholder farmers and addressing insecurity to achieve food security.
“Women should be encouraged to continue putting food on the table of every household. When we talk about food security, people look at big farms, but what you find in the markets are what the small-holder farmers produce,” said Mrs. Mary Afan, an executive of Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON).
