A state of emergency has been declared in Nigeria to deal with rising food prices and shortages.
President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on Thursday. He said that the government has taken this step to deal with the negative impact of food price increase and shortage. . BBC news
Nigeria’s president has directed relevant government agencies to increase food supply to the market to stabilize food prices. He emphasized on increasing investment in the agricultural sector, increasing arable land, improving agricultural irrigation, providing seeds and fertilizers to farmers, removing barriers to grain transportation and trade.
The Nigerian President said, I am assuring everyone that no one will be left behind in this step.
According to Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s inflation rate has remained relatively high since the beginning of 2021. In May this year, the country’s consumer price index (CPI) increased by 22.4 percent. At this time, food prices increased by 24.8 percent.
A United Nations report last January said 25 million Nigerians are at high risk of food insecurity this year. Which means they won’t be able to eat enough nutritious food every day.
Concerns about food insecurity in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, have long been a concern, and have been rampant for several years.
According to Nigerian government data, more than 350 farmers have been abducted or killed in the 12 months since June 2022. Many of these attacks took place in the northern part of the country.