Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on the Federal Government to declare hunger a national emergency amid rising food insecurity, poverty and insecurity across Nigeria.
Obi made the call in a statement marking World Food Day, warning that millions of Nigerians were struggling to access adequate food.
He cited estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which indicate that about 36 million Nigerians will face acute hunger this year.
“Today, as the world marks World Food Day, Nigerians are confronting a painful reality: hunger, poverty, and insecurity continue to affect millions of families across the country,” he said.
Obi also expressed concern over Nigeria’s position on the global hunger ranking, noting that the country ranked 117th out of 125 countries, compared with 109th in 2023.
He said the situation was particularly concerning given Nigeria’s vast agricultural potential and fertile land.
According to him, about 60 per cent of the country’s arable land remains uncultivated, while insecurity has forced many farmers away from their farms and left some areas vulnerable to terrorist groups and other non-state actors.
“The tragedy is even more painful because Nigeria has vast, arable, and fertile land,” Obi said, adding that hunger must be treated as a national emergency.
He stressed the need to secure farming communities and provide farmers with the necessary support to boost food production.
“Under our leadership, we will secure the country and return our hardworking farmers to their farms. They will receive targeted grants, subsidies, and other forms of support,” he said.
The former presidential candidate added that addressing hunger required urgent action to tackle insecurity, reduce poverty and ensure farmers could work safely.
Obi said his vision was to build a country where every family could access food and farmers could carry out their activities in peace and dignity.
“Together, we can build a Nigeria where no one goes to bed hungry and every farmer can work in peace and dignity. A New Nigeria is possible,” he said.