Has NBS Informed Tinubu That Two-Thirds Of Households Can’t Afford Healthy Food?

BY ISAAC ASABOR

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), empowered by the Statistics Act of 2007, is the official custodian of statistics in Nigeria. Tasked with advising federal, state, and local governments on statistical development, the agency is a vital institution for evidence-based policymaking. However, its recent report on the state of food insecurity and other household challenges in Nigeria raises a critical question: “Has the leadership of the NBS communicated to the federal government, under President Tinubu’s administration, the urgency of the findings that two-thirds of Nigerian households lack money for healthy food?”

If it has, what measures are being taken? If not, the NBS must ensure its findings are not just data points in a report but a clarion call for swift action to alleviate the plight of Nigerians.

The reason for the foregoing views cannot be farfetched, as the grim picture painted by the NBS Survey is stark. The latest “Nigeria General Household Survey—Panel (GHS-Panel) Wave 5 (2023/2024)” sheds light on the realities faced by Nigerians. The findings are stark.

When the report is looked at from the perspective of food insecurity, it shows that two-thirds of households reported being unable to eat healthy or preferred foods due to a lack of money in the last 30 days, with additional facts that 63.8% of households ate only a few kinds of food because of financial constraints, 60.5% consumed less than they thought they should, and alarmingly, between 2018/19 and 2023/24, the proportion of households worried about not having enough food to eat surged from 36.9% to 62.4%.

Looking at the report from the perspective of energy and infrastructure, the NBS Survey says urban areas fare better, with 82.2% of households having access to electricity, but only 40.4% of rural households enjoy the same. Worsening enough is that cooking remains a challenge, with 65% of households using traditional three-stone stoves and 70.2% depending on wood fuel.

Also, when looked at from the angle of sanitation and housing, many households lack proper toilet facilities, and informal waste disposal (45.6%) remains common, while 70.4% of households own their homes, with rural homeownership (80.1%) far surpassing urban areas (49.1%).

These statistics, though vital, must serve a purpose beyond informing Nigerians of their struggles; they must spur government action.

Beyond statistics, the role of the NBS in advocacy is clearly stated in its constitutional mandate. The NBS cannot function in isolation as a data-gathering entity. Its findings are only as impactful as the actions they inspire. It is concerning if the Bureau’s leadership has not escalated these alarming statistics to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration with the urgency they warrant.

In a nation grappling with rising prices, depleting purchasing power, and widespread poverty, food insecurity cannot be another statistic. The NBS must actively engage federal and state governments, advocating for policy interventions that address these issues head-on. Churning out data that only paints a bleak picture without prompting actionable solutions risks desensitising the public and policymakers alike.

Given the foregoing view, there is no denying the fact that the government’s responsibility is to act. However, it is sad to note in this context that President Tinubu’s administration has promised economic reforms, but Nigerians are yet to feel the positive impact. If two-thirds of households cannot afford healthy food, it reflects a systemic failure that demands immediate attention. The government must respond to these findings with policies that tackle:

The findings of the NBS must be seen as more than just information; they are a call to action for the government. The NBS, as the custodian of these statistics, holds the moral responsibility to ensure its reports do not merely add to Nigeria’s narrative of poverty but act as catalysts for change.

The federal government, on its part, must embrace these findings as a foundation for targeted interventions. Policies informed by robust data have the potential to drive real change, but only if they are implemented with urgency and transparency.

Ignoring the NBS’s findings risks deepening Nigeria’s socio-economic crisis. The inability of families to afford healthy food exacerbates malnutrition, stunts children’s development, and fuels a cycle of poverty. Energy poverty limits productivity, while inadequate infrastructure hampers public health and economic growth.

For the NBS, publishing reports is not enough. It must actively advocate for its recommendations and follow up on their implementation. For the Tinubu administration, addressing these issues is not just a political obligation but a moral imperative.

The NBS has a critical role in shaping Nigeria’s development trajectory. If it has not yet communicated the urgency of its findings to the Tinubu administration, it must do so immediately. And if it has, the government must act without delay.

It is unacceptable for the Bureau’s reports to serve merely as warnings to the public while the government remains passive. Statistics are tools for change, and in the face of such glaring challenges, the NBS and the government must work together to ensure these numbers translate into meaningful interventions.

The time to act is now. Nigerians deserve more than bleak statistics; they deserve solutions.