UN REPORT: Obi raises alarm, says northern food crisis can be avoided

Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, is raising the alarm following a recent UN report showing that more than 17 million people in nine states in northern Nigeria are facing crisis-level hunger.

According to him, the food crisis that hit northern Nigeria could have been avoided, because this was the result of incompetent and irresponsible leadership, considering that the Northern region is still the country’s food source.

Obi, who stated this in a post on his X account on Saturday, said the crisis, described by the World Food Program as the worst in almost a decade, was deeply disturbing.

He said more than 35 million Nigerians across the country were at risk of starvation during the ongoing lean season, adding that more than 10,000 residents of Borno State had entered what aid agencies classified as “catastrophic” famine conditions.

“I am deeply concerned by the latest report from the UN World Food Program, which shows that northern Nigeria is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis in almost a decade. More than 17 million people in nine northern states are facing crisis-level hunger, and more than 35 million Nigerians across the country are at risk during this challenging season.

“The fact that more than 10,000 residents of Borno State have entered a ‘catastrophic’ state of starvation represents not only enormous human suffering but also a major national failure,” Obi said, stressing that Nigeria’s ranking among the world’s hungriest countries is inexcusable given the fertile and largely uncultivated land in the Northern region.

The former Anambra governor attributed the crisis to two structural failures, namely insecurity and the inability of farmers to access their agricultural land, and said that banditry and insurgent attacks had turned agricultural communities into refugee camps.

“This food crisis stems from two important structural failures: insecurity and the inability of farmers to access their land. Banditry and insurgency have turned agricultural communities into refugee zones. Until we secure our agricultural territories, we cannot secure our future,” he said.

Obi called on the Federal Government and state leaders to go beyond political rhetoric and make transparent early investments in securing agricultural corridors and supporting small farmers with accessible resources. He urged closer cooperation with the WFP to bridge the funding gap before this crisis claims more lives, especially children.

The United Nations World Food Program has previously revealed that escalating conflict and dwindling humanitarian funding are pushing northern Nigeria into its worst hunger crisis in almost a decade, with millions of people facing severe food insecurity.

The report said more than 17 million people in nine conflict-affected states in northern Nigeria are experiencing crisis, emergency or very severe levels of famine, which is an increase of almost two million people compared to previous projections.