Tag: Food crisis

Food crisis: “Reopen land borders” – Kano Gov. urges Tinubu

Aminu Imam

Kano State governor, Abba Kabir-Yusuf, has urged President Bola Tinubu to open land borders to enhance food security in the country. He stated this during a courtesy visit by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, yesterday in Kano. Kabir-Yusuf, who lamented the harsh economic conditions being experienced by Nigerians, said that re-opening the borders would check inflation and cut prices of food items. “We wish to appreciate the President’s intervention in the on-going National Food Initiative. “He considers Kano as the host for the Initiative, ahead of its planned launch,…

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Food smuggling: FG intercepts 141 grain trucks

Aminu Imam

…Drivers threaten strike over attacks The Federal Government has said it had so far intercepted 141 trucks attempting to smuggle grains and other staples to Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic, in continuation of measures to address the food inflation and cost of living crisis.  The Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS), Bashir Adeniyi, on Tuesday, said that the Service had within two weeks arrested about 120 trucks smuggling food items from Nigeria while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), stopped 21 food trucks…

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“War-torn Ukraine’s food donation to Nigeria a national disgrace” – Peter Obi

Aminu Imam

…Urges priority shift to agriculture for self-sufficiency Peter Obi, of the Labour Party, says it is “disheartening” and a national disgrace that war-torn Ukraine is donating food to Nigeria. Recall that last week, Ukraine donated 25,000 tonnes of wheat as emergency food assistance to 1.3 million vulnerable, crisis-affected people in northeast Nigeria amidst rising inflation and food price spikes. Obi, yesterday on X, said, “It is disheartening that our once economically confident nation, blessed with vast arable land and abundant natural resources, now relies on a war-torn Ukraine for food…

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Economic Hardship: Prison inmates revolt in Jos over food ration cuts

Aminu Imam

The protest over nationwide hardship hit the Correctional Centre in Jos, the Plateau State capital, yesterday, as inmates staged a protest over plan to reduce their food ration. It was learnt that the protest started as soon as the prisoners heard about the correctional facility’s decision to reduce the portion sizes of food. ?It was gathered that immediately they got tipped off on downward review of food size, the inmates started to protest. During the protest, the inmates refused to take orders from the custodial officials and also shunned breakfast.…

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‘Nigeria will face food crisis in next 3 months’ – Bafarawa

Aminu Imam

Former governor of Sokoto State and a trustee for the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Attahiru Bafarawa, yesterday expressed worry over the banditry in the North-West and North-East, claiming it has posed a severe danger to food security in Nigeria. According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s administration should prioritise food security rather than discussing cabinet ministerial selections, subsidies, and the economy. The wise man also forewarned that the North will experience serious educational backwardness over the next 50 years if tough steps were not implemented to reduce insecurity. Bafarawa, who stated…

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UN warns of ‘catastrophic’ hunger in Nigeria, says 25m at risk

Aminu Imam

The United Nations, (UN), has warned that nearly 25 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger between June and August this year if urgent action is not taken. UN associate spokeswoman Stephanie Tremblay, who made the call at a news conference in New York, USA, called on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to commit more resources and to implement mitigation measures to save lives and prevent a potentially catastrophic food security and nutrition situation. She also called on the donor community and public and private stakeholders to commit resources to address…

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25 million Nigerians to face food crisis by August 2023 – FAO

Aminu Imam

About 25.3 million people will face food insecurity across Nigeria between June and August 2023, according to the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation, (FAO). The FAO, in an issued statement, warned that if actions are not taken to avert the crisis, 4.4 million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States will be affected. The UN food agency, in its October 2022 food and nutrition analysis said about 17 million people in the country were already facing a food crisis. These include internally-displaced persons, (IDPs) and returnees in 26…

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4 million Northern Nigerians under threat of food insecurity – UN

Aminu Imam

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, has said over four million people in Nigeria’s North-East region are expected to be in dire need of food in the coming season. Speaking at an advocacy event on ‘Food Security and Nutrition in the North-East’, which was held in Abuja, Schmale said up to $351 million was needed to provide humanitarian support and avert the expected food crisis in the region. He also noted that a total of 8.4 million Nigerians would need humanitarian support in the North-East, with 4.1…

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Famine looms, as Kano rice farmers face poor harvest

Aminu Imam

…Says drought affects early farming As Kano State and its counterparts in the North continue to look forward to continuous rainfall, farmers have been recording poor crop harvests especially of rice and other grains, which rely on water for bumper yields. Rice, which requires consistent water supply, has been left without the usual daily rainfalls for several weeks and the plants are drying out. In areas where the farms are located close to water sources such as rivers, ponds and boreholes, farmers have adopted these water sources to irrigate their…

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$1bn Fund: UN sets up Task Force on food crisis in the North – Official 

Aminu Imam

The United Nations, (UN), has established a Task Force to collaborate with other aid organisations to tackle food insecurity in Northern Nigeria. The spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, disclosed this yesterday, during a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, United States. The UN said over $1 billion would be needed to implement the Humanitarian Response Plan in northern Nigeria, adding that, of the amount, $250 million is needed to help the hardest-to-reach people to receive food. According to the official, “Our humanitarian colleagues in Nigeria…

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