Only 20% of Nigerians certain of their next meal, says Govt

The Federal Government has raised the alarm over worsening food insecurity in the country, disclosing that 161 million Nigerians are currently food insecure, with only 20 percent of the population certain of their next meal.

Nuhu Kilishi, Director of the Nutrition and Food Safety Department at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, made this known on Friday in Abuja at a stakeholders’ consultative meeting on the development of a Food and Nutrition Security Crisis Preparedness Plan (FNSCPP).

“Only 20 per cent of Nigerians are currently food secure, meaning they are certain of their next meal,” he said, attributing the worsening trend to hardship

Kilishi said food insecurity has escalated from 35 percent in 2014 to 74 percent in recent years, citing insecurity, inflation, and reduced access to agricultural inputs as key drivers of the crisis.

He said banditry, kidnapping, and economic hardship have not only reduced the amount of land being farmed, but also forced many away from food production.

“Inflation and rising prices of food inputs and commodities have also made it difficult for households to afford healthy diets,” he said.

The FNSCPP is a forward-looking initiative under the second phase of the World Bank-funded Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, designed to build resilience and improve access to cost-effective nutrition services for vulnerable populations, including children and pregnant women.

Kilishi said the government is implementing several interventions, including the distribution of seeds and gardening inputs across the 774 LGAs in Nigeria.

“We have secured World Bank funding to implement this plan in 21 states, while the remaining 15 states will be supported through federal resources,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, Senior Health Specialist at the World Bank, said the ANRiN project was initially funded with $232 million and has now shifted from emergency responses to long-term, systems-based solutions to prevent future food and nutrition crises.

“With additional crisis response window financing made available, the aim now is to strengthen Nigeria’s systems to prevent future food and nutrition crises,” Tilley-Gyado said.

Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Director of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey revealed that over 40 percent of Nigerian households cannot afford nutritious meals, further compounding the country’s maternal and child mortality rates.

She said the new preparedness plan follows a directive from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who urged the development of a coordinated national response to food and nutrition emergencies.

“We do not want to wait for a crisis before responding. Food and nutrition security is not the responsibility of the health sector alone, it is multisectoral,” Bako-Aiyegbusi said.

“Agriculture, education, water resources, information, security, and development partners all have critical roles to play.”