Rising food prices and agricultural disruption across Nigeria’s conflict zones have prompted civil society organisations to demand immediate government intervention, with ActionAid Nigeria warning that the country’s food security emergency remains largely rhetorical despite official declarations.
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Speaking at the organisation’s General Assembly review in Abuja, Board Chairperson Rabi Isma criticised the federal government’s response to its own declared food emergency, noting the absence of major policy shifts, increased funding, or tangible implementation strategies since the announcement.
“Although the federal government had declared a national emergency on food security, there had been no major policy shift, increase in funding, or implementation of tangible actions to tackle the crisis,” Isma stated, calling for immediate scaling up of targeted interventions in conflict-affected regions.
The food security concerns are directly linked to deteriorating security conditions, particularly in Nigeria’s North Central region, where persistent herder-farmer conflicts have disrupted agricultural production. Isma highlighted how insecurity in states like Plateau and Benue has contributed significantly to rising food costs nationwide.
ActionAid’s General Assembly issued a comprehensive communiqué demanding urgent reform of Nigeria’s national security architecture to address what they described as widespread violence, including herder attacks, civilian casualties from military operations, and violent suppression of protests.
Convener of the General Assembly, Dr. Steve Onya, noted that despite the government’s “Renewed Hope” agenda implementation, millions of Nigerians continue facing severe economic hardship characterised by rising inflation, economic instability, and worsening inequality.
The organisation called on federal authorities alongside Plateau and Benue state governments to declare a state of emergency on security, advocating for coordinated, civilian-sensitive strategies to end ongoing violence while protecting both farming communities and pastoral herders.
Beyond immediate security concerns, ActionAid highlighted systemic failures across multiple sectors. Isma raised alarms about Nigeria’s strained public health infrastructure, citing Lassa fever’s spread to 18 states, the emergence of a new polio variant in Kano, and recent Niger State flooding that claimed over 200 lives.
Educational challenges also featured prominently in the organisation’s assessment, with persistent technical failures and safety lapses affecting major examination bodies like JAMB and WAEC, undermining students’ academic prospects.
The civil society group recommended community-driven interventions, including food aid, cash transfers, subsidised farm inputs, and support for women-led cooperatives, stating that such programmes must remain transparent and free from political interference.
Addressing Nigeria’s dependency on external support, Isma urged the government to increase investment in local vaccine production, expand immunisation coverage, and develop resilient health systems capable of grassroots-level disease prevention.
“Nigeria must reduce its over-reliance on donor support and stop limiting its response to publishing fatality figures,” she emphasised, calling for substantive policy action to address the country’s mounting crises.
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