31.8m Nigerians Facing Acute Food Insecurity, Report Reveals

Over 31.8 million Nigerians are grappling with acute food insecurity, with malnutrition among women and children compounding the crisis, according to the 2024 Cadre Harmonise report.

The surge in food commodity prices, driven by the removal of fuel subsidies and ongoing security challenges, has plunged millions of Nigerians into a dire situation.

A statement released on Wednesday by Julie Osagie-Jacobs, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, highlighted that development partners including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), GIZ, and Agsys disclosed these findings at a joint review meeting on the implementation of food systems in Nigeria, held from August 26th to 27th, 2024.

The report indicates a sharp increase in the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity, up from 18.6 million identified as vulnerable between October and December 2023 by the U.N. World Food Programme.

“The surge in food commodity prices, which is a result of the removal of fuel subsidy in addition to security challenges, has placed millions of Nigerians in a precarious situation,” the ministry stated.

Stakeholders at the meeting advocated for a multi-sectoral approach to address food security challenges, emphasizing the need for collaboration among various sectors. They stressed that civil society organizations and the private sector must be involved to extend the reach of nutrition efforts. The partners also pledged their unwavering support to transform Nigeria’s food system.

The study, produced by development partners including the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and the German development agency GIZ, utilized data from a nutrition analysis conducted by the Cadre Harmonise, a regional food security framework.

Sanjo Faniran, Nigeria’s national convener of Food Systems and director of social development in the budget and economic planning ministry, noted that the study helped to identify gaps, successes, and challenges, and offered recommendations.

This report comes amid soaring food inflation, which has exceeded 40 percent in the country. The crisis is a consequence of the removal of fuel subsidies by President Bola Tinubu, who took office in May 2023.

The president has stated that the removal was aimed at reducing government spending, a decision that has led to a rise in transportation costs, further exacerbating food prices.

Additionally, the persistent raids by bandits have forced many farmers to abandon their fields, contributing significantly to the increase in food prices. In response, the Nigeria Police Force announced last week that it had begun providing security for farmers in the Northern regions of the country to enable them to return to their farms as the harvest season approaches.

With food security challenges escalating, stakeholders are calling for immediate and coordinated actions to mitigate the impact on vulnerable populations, particularly women and children.