Food Crisis: Obi Raises Fresh Alarm, Bemoans Impacts Of Terrorism, Banditry

The Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate for the 2023 General Election has repeatedly warned that if farmers are denied access to their farms by bandits and terrorists, Nigeria will face hunger and famine.

In a press statement issued by Dr. Yunusa Tanko, his Chief Spokesman, Obi, in response to publications and an international agency’s warning on the subject, stated that the alarm should be given proper attention.

The LP standard bearer wrote on his X handle, “I just read in the daily this morning about the concerns being expressed by stakeholders in our agriculture sector over the worsening food insecurity in Nigeria.
“I have consistently expressed my concerns about the growing food crisis, which has claimed the lives of our fellow citizens.
I believe that the need to address these issues cannot be overemphasised.

“The number of food-insecure Nigerians increased significantly, from 66.2 million in Q1 2023 to 100 million in Q1 2024 (WFP, 2024), with 18.6 million facing acute hunger and 43.7 million Nigerians demonstrating crisis-level or above crisis-level hunger-coping strategies as of March 2024.

“While the preceding report provides an understanding of the current and impending food crisis looming over the nation, current realities show that we are already in a worse situation than is presented in the report.

“An earlier similar report by Cadre Harmonise stated that approximately 31.5 million Nigerians are expected to face acute hunger between June and August of this year.

“What is now very worrying is that many Nigerians have died in their search for food, indicating a severe level of hunger that has not yet been captured by the media. We are gradually descending to the level of survival of the fittest, in which, driven by hunger and a desire to survive, one loses all sense of order and does the unthinkable.

“With the frequent banditry and terror attacks on farmers, many of them have abandoned their farms. It is reported that in a state like Sokoto, farmers have paid a total of N3 billion in ransom to bandits, while others have paid as much as N100,000 to gain access to their farms. According to reports, approximately 165 farmers have died as a result of insecurity this year.

“It is therefore an urgent matter for the government to address the country’s insecurity issues. When farmers can safely return to their farms, this will help to alleviate food insecurity.