Abuja, Nov. 4, 2023 – About 26.5 million Nigerians are at the risk of hunger in 2024, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has reported.
Dominique Kouacou, the FAO Country Representative, said this during a presentation at the food security and early warning analysis for October to November period in Abuja on Friday.
He said the FCT, Sokoto, Borno and Zamfara states are mostly at risk of hunger.
Kouacou was represented by Dr Abubakar Suleiman, Assistant FAO Representative in Nigeria.
The CH analysis was conducted in 26 states and the FCT to ascertain the food security situation and make projections for the future.
According to him, the current cycle is happening after an unusually lean season, which witnessed several shocks, ranging from persistent insecurity situations like insurgency, and banditry.
He listed other challenges as natural resource-based conflicts, high cost of food and agricultural inputs due to high inflation, and severe dry spells in some states immediately after the onset of rains.
Dr Ernest Umakhihe, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, said the analysis was conducted and validated by highly skilled professionals of the CH analysis task force over the past two weeks.
The permanent secretary, who was represented by Mrs Fausat Lawal, Director of Special Duties, said the results of the cycle of Cadre Harmonise analysis were coming at a time when government at all levels was leaving no stone unturned in reinvigorating the nation’s economy.
He said though the challenges were daunting, they were surmountable, adding that several factors seemed to be negating the ministry’s efforts.
“Notable among them are the lingering negative impact of COVID-19 on the global economy and the Russia-Ukraine war which is currently disrupting the food systems and spiking up input prices and food prices.
“The removal of petroleum subsidy has further heightened this pressure, resulting in food inflation and increases in the consumer price index,” he said.
He said that environmental and human factors such as climate change, displacements due to insecurity and seasonal flooding regime had all remained recurrent concerns.
Umakhihe said that the disruptions had implications on food consumption patterns and the attendant high use of irreversible coping strategies among a sizable population of Nigeria.
He said the ministry remained resolute in leading and supporting the CH process in Nigeria.
The permanent secretary added that before the end of the year 2024, the ministry would work to mainstream all 36 states of the country in the CH analysis.
