The Nigerian Red Cross Society on Monday said the rising number of people who are food insecure is a threat to the country’s peace and stability.
The President of the society, Oluyemisi Adeaga, while speaking at a media chat in Abuja, said Nigeria, like every other great nations, must prioritise the food needs of its citizens.
Mr Adeaga said addressing hunger in the nation is not just a matter of dignity, but a matter of urgent national security.
He noted that many people are hungry and unsure of where their next meal will come from.
“We call on all well-meaning people and organisations to join the efforts of the Nigerian Red Cross Society to bring relief to some of the most vulnerable members of our society who now face the human indignity of not knowing where their next meal will come from,” he said.
Food insecurity
In 2022, Nigeria was ranked 103 out of 121 countries in the 2022 Global Hunger Index.
This makes it the second consecutive year in which Nigeria’s ranking on the scale remains the same. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, ranked 103 out of 116 countries in 2021 and 98 among 107 countries in 2020.
According to the report, some 828 million people were affected by hunger globally in 2021, an increase of about 46 million people since 2020 and 150 million people since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The index indicates that the highest levels of hunger were in “Africa South of the Sahara” and South Asia – with progress against hunger in these regions having stagnated in recent years.
Mr Adeaga said that in an estimated 828 million people, about 10 per cent of the global population, go to bed hungry every day.
He said in Nigeria, about 25 million are at risk of severe hunger and malnutrition, many of them women and children.
“Indeed, the urgency of the situation is not lost on President Bola Tinubu who declared a state of emergency on food insecurity and ordered the immediate release of fertilisers and grains to farmers,” he said.
“President Tinubu also approved that all matters pertaining to food and water availability as well as affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council.”
Efforts so far
Mr Adeaga said the urgency of the new administration mirrors the actions taken by the Red Cross Society when it launched an Emergency Appeal in June 2021.
He said the emergency appeal is part of efforts to address the food insecurity in some parts of the country.
“Our initial target was seven states in north-west and north-central Nigeria. That number has now been scaled up to 13 states as we are seeing an increase in the number of people who are going hungry due to a multiplicity of factors,” he said.
He noted that issues like banditry, rising inflation, worsening economic conditions, the Russia/Ukraine crisis and lack of access to farms in parts of Nigeria have all combined to make people poorer and access to food harder than usual.
“We at the Nigerian Red Cross Society remain undaunted and will continue to ensure that we alleviate human suffering in our country.”
In his remark, the head of the delegation for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Bhupinder Tomar, said Nigeria is facing an unprecedented hunger crisis this year.
Mr Tomar said the number of people facing food insecurity have been on the increase every year.
“We are glad that the government of Nigeria has recognised the crisis and the president has declared a state of emergency,” he said.
“This event is to pass the message on to the general public to fully participate with the Red Cross society to be able to support interventions in place.”
Source: Premium Times
