The United Nations has expressed serious concern over the alarming statistic that Nigerians spend over 65 percent of their salaries on food, compared to just five to six percent in other regions.
Dr. Hameed Nuru of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) highlighted this issue during the University of Ilorin’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine maiden annual lecture, which was held in honour of a former deputy vice-chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and the first professor from Ilorin Emirate, Prof. Saka Nuru.
Speaking at the event titled “Navigating the Nexus of Food Security, Safety, and Diseases: A Holistic Sustainable Future and Economic Prosperity,” Dr. Nuru called on the federal and state governments to set aside specific annual budgets for food security.
He cautioned that by August of this year, one million children in Nigeria could be at risk of malnutrition, mainly as a result of conflict, insecurity, and climate change, especially in the North East.
“The government should develop a policy that will give the citizens access to food. It is undignifying to always hand over food to people without developing their economic capacity to access the food themselves,” he stated.
Dr. Nuru linked food security to national security. He argued for prioritising and promoting Nigeria’s indigenous foods above processed and imported alternatives, noting that Africa spends around $60.8 billion annually on food imports.
“Africa should move from agriculture for the stomach to agriculture for wealth. Africa should strengthen agricultural production to address food security.
“WFP is prioritising its operations to reach 1.1 million vulnerable people every month in northern Nigeria. Those receiving assistance include displaced people living in camps or host communities, vulnerable members of host communities, and people returning home after months of displacement,” he added.
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