Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, On World Food Day, advised the government on the importance of investing heavily in agriculture as it is a way to caution food crisis in Nigeria.
This was made known today on his official X account (formerly known as Twitter).
He explained that as we celebrate World Food Day, Nigeria needs to take urgent steps to eradicate hunger and starvation in the land.
According to him, “As the global community marks World Food Day today, we must remind ourselves of the present food crisis in the nation and seek urgent steps to save the people from further hunger and starvation.
The food crisis has remained a serious challenge facing many households in Nigeria, as the country is reported by the Global Hunger Index to be facing a serious hunger level. With more than half of the population living in poverty,
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has shown that over 90 million Nigerians face food insecurity, thus posing obstacles to a healthy population and human development. In the 2023 Global Hunger Index, Nigeria ranked 109th out of the 125 countries measured, showing that we currently battle a high level of hunger.
Reports have it that Nigeria’s food inflation rate in August 2023 was about 30 percent on a year-on-year basis. Consequently, a vast majority of Nigerians spend the entirety of their disposable income on food, which is often hardly enough. The horrible spate of attacks on farmers in Nigeria by armed and terrorist groups has continued to hinder food production and food supplies, therefore threatening to push the country deeper into a devastating hunger crisis.
Lack of adequate investment in agriculture also contributes greatly to the food crisis in Nigeria. I have maintained that the vast fertile lands in the North, if put into productive agricultural use, will produce enough food for domestic consumption and for exports, which can give us more revenue than we generate from oil.”
He concluded by saying, “The government, therefore, must invest heavily in agriculture to ensure sufficient food production for Nigeria and the global world. Happy World Food Day!” ,