The United Nations has again predicted that 82 million Nigerians, about 64 per cent of the country’s population, may go hungry by 2030, calling on the government to tackle climate change, pest infestations, and other threats to agricultural productivity.

The prediction comes in the wake of a persistent hike in food prices in the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s food inflation rate hit a record high of 40.66 per cent in May 2024, surpassing the previous month’s 40.53 increase.

This surge represents the largest year-on-year increase in food prices since records began in 1996.

Historically, food inflation in Nigeria has averaged 13.42 per cent, with the lowest point of -17.50 per cent in January 2000.

In 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organisation predicted that no fewer than 2.6 million Nigerians in Borno, Sokoto and Zamfara states, and the FCT may face a food crisis between June and August 2024.

According to a government-led Cadre Harmonisé analysis released in March, 2024, approximately 4.8 million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are experiencing severe food insecurity, the highest level in seven years.

Also, as Nigerian workers commemorated the 2024 May Day, Organised Labour expressed concern about the country’s rising food prices and fuel scarcity, saying that the current situation threatened the survival of workers.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba, also recently warned that a hunger riot might soon break out in Nigeria, calling on the Federal Government to act fast.

Speaking recently at the launch of CropWatch in Abuja, the Resident Humanitarian Coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, represented by one of the UN officials, Taofiq Braimoh, said, “The government of Nigeria, in collaboration with others, conducts an annual food security survey. This year’s results are alarming: approximately 22 million Nigerians will face food insecurity in 2023, and around 80-82 million are at risk of severe food insecurity by 2030.

“Nigeria, like many countries, grapples with food insecurity, climate change, unreliable water patterns, pest infestations, and other threats to agricultural productivity. As an agrarian society, our farms’ success directly impacts food availability for our population. Leveraging technology is crucial to strengthening our agriculture sector and ensuring food security.”

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He stressed that satellite-based crop monitoring provided real-time data on crop conditions, enabling farmers and policymakers to make informed decisions and optimise agricultural practices.

He noted that the technology could help expedite the accomplishment of sustainable development goals in food and agriculture.

‘Climate change fuelling high hunger rate’

An agricultural economist from the Centre for Agricultural Development and Sustainable Environment at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Tobi Awolope, attributed the high hunger rate in Nigeria to climate change, which has severely affected smallholder farmers, the main players in food production.

Awolope, who spoke to our correspondent on Friday, noted that those farmers had a low adaptive capacity to cope with the effects of climate change, such as irregular rainfall patterns and lack of irrigation.

“Climate change has reversed the progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2, which aim to eradicate poverty and hunger. Smallholder farmers are struggling to adapt to the changing climate, and this has led to declining food availability and rising prices,” she said.

She emphasised the need for government support for farmers, including subsidising production inputs, and providing technology and irrigation assistance.

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“Farmers cannot mitigate the effects of climate change alone. The government needs to step in and support them to ensure food security,” she stated.

Awolope also stressed the importance of utilising research recommendations to inform policy decisions, saying, “This is not the time to leave research output on the shelf. We need to use those recommendations to make informed decisions that will support our farmers and ensure food availability.”

Meanwhile, the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, Dr Adepoju Mathew, highlighted the importance of science, technology, and innovation in advancing agricultural development and food security.

“The world population is projected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, and food production must increase by 70 per cent to meet this demand.

“Space science, technology, and innovation play a crucial role in transforming agriculture and enhancing food security,” he added.

UN report reflects real situation— Farmers

Speaking with The PUNCH, the National Secretary of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Dr Yinusu Alidu, said the UN report should be taken seriously, noting that it reflects the real situation in the country.

He said, “What the UN said is trending at the moment, because it reflects the real situation in the country. It is not magic; the UN is only gathering reports, and speaking to the current situation. They are using global warming, climate change, insecurity, and other factors to make the report. People like us on the field know already that the UN’s report is becoming real.

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“This is July and there is not enough rain yet. Weather forecast experts have predicted that there is going to be a drought. They predicted that there was going to be a short rain period, and that rain may not fall after August. They advised farmers to plant crops that will yield and mature fast. If not, the crops will be stunted and will not yield well. If people use conventional modes of planting, their farms will be affected by drought.”

Alidu urged the government to act on the report to prevent a food crisis.

He said, “It is the responsibility of the government to prevent a food crisis. The government should encourage irrigation farming systems. The government needs to create dams and channel waste water for farming purposes. Water is being wasted a lot. This is the right time for the government to be serious about off-season farming. Seventy per cent of crops grown in Nigeria are planted with direct rain; few people use irrigation systems. The government has a responsibility to make farming easy for farmers. They should support the irrigation system.

“I don’t know why the government is taking a lackadaisical approach to farming. Maybe they believe they have the money to buy anything they want, regardless of the price, because they have money. What about the average Nigerian? I would only advise farmers to be smart and fast in farming.”

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‘UN report reflection of govt failure’

Also speaking with our correspondent, the President of Integrated Agricultural Services, South-West, Mr Adeyemi Adejare, described the UN’s report as a pointer to the government’s failures in supporting agriculture and farmers.

Adejare said Nigeria was already witnessing a shortage of food, saying only aggressive farming could help Nigeria out of the crisis.

He said, “The only way to avert the UN’s prediction is to engage in aggressive farming, and get genuine support from the government. Nigeria is facing food insecurity already, so we can’t shy away from what the UN said. It is a pointer to the government’s failure to support agriculture.

“The food industries and our farming system must reach a sustainable level to avert the prediction, and that requires a holistic approach. We need to discard the old farming, storing, and processing systems. Government at all levels must be genuinely committed to promoting agriculture.

“The government must empower farmers and encourage mechanised farming for the youth. The government must also provide soft loans and subsidise farming inplements for genuine farmers.”

Adejare noted that the UN report was correct, adding that the nation must take proactive actions to end food insecurity.

He said, “The UN report is correct. Currently, it will take Nigeria 30 uninterrupted farming and harvesting seasons to achieve food security, because of the shortage we have already.

“The government has not been fair to farmers. The northern farmers are enjoying little benefits from the government, but the South-West governors are not helping the farmers at all. The governors have not been helpful; they have been paying lip service to the promotion of agriculture.”

PUNCH

Tunde Odesola

The flamboyant Ojude Oba festival of flourish and colours is nothing but the cat’s pyjamas. The lavishness of the Ijebu and their thriftiness are bemusing contradictions. As a matter of fact, the Ijebu and their intimidating panache are just the cat’s meow.

Pomp, power, pleasure and pain, inscribe industry, grit and glamour in the Ijebu DNA. The Ijebu are different, so said their wise king, Awujale Sikiru Adetona, the Ogbagba Agbotewole II, when he traced Ijebu roots to Sudan, saying there was life before Ile-Ife. The Ijebu are just the bee’s knees, simple!

The làlà koko fèfè of the Ijebu headlined various Nigerian newspapers as the Ojude Oba festival climaxed in Ijebu-Ode last month. The Gen Z slang – steeze – an offspring of style and ease, became a national slogan. Some call it steaze or steez, either way, they aren’t wrong. The style and ease with which the Ijebu have steered the Ojude Oba festival to national consciousness is indeed steezy.

Yearly, many illustrious Ijebu sons, daughters and families come together in a display of love, unity, integration and sociability in Ijebu-Ode. One of such legendary sons of Ijebu is the honcho of Africa’s telecommunication giant, GLOBACOM, Chief Mike Adenuga, whose support for the Ojude Oba festival over the years is stupendous. Also, the popular Balogun Kuku family won the age-grade régbé régbé parade for the eighth time in a row.

From Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey to King Sunny Ade, to the late Chief Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, General Kollington Ayinla, and King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, there’s no big Yoruba musician, apart from Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B and Ragge artistes, that has not sung the panegyric of the Ijebu, with the latest being Buga sensation, Jesse King.

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Horse riding at the festival is the historical preserve of the families of Ijebu war heroes known as the Balogun. For the Oreagba family, the 2024 edition of the Ojude Oba festival was another opportunity to display the tradition of horse riding to the admiration of the Awujale, indigenes and guests at the king’s forecourt. But little did their 58-year-old son, Farooq, who had been unnoticed riding his horse at the festival in the last 13 years, know that fate was scripting a celebratory chapter in his life. Note, for 13 unbroken years, Farook, the Ijebu cat with nine lives, was riding his horse and smoking his cigar without consequence. Ijebu and cats.

Farooq chatted and partied with family and friends at the Ojude Oba grand finale. He needed not a single word but just the click of the camera to announce himself to the world. Farooq’s newfound celebrity status is the reward for his fidelity to family values demonstrated by his untiring punctuality and execution of the horse riding chore of the Oreagba lineage at the Ojude Oba. If Farooq hadn’t attended this year’s festival, the epitaph on his tombstone might only have read, “Here lies the remains of Farooq omo Oreagba: a great man who lived life to the fullest in the jaws of death.”

Farooq the mortal played his part in the incredible story, which his life journey symbolises, before the gods took over, rewriting and redirecting the script to fulfill his destiny. While preparing for this life-long journey, the young Oreagba armed himself with a Diploma in Business and Finance and a degree in Combined Engineering Studies. He’s also a UK authorised financial representative and a registered trader on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Sad enough, the Tottenham Hotspur supporter suffers from an incurable strain of cancer called multiple myeloma. Speaking with me on the phone, Farook said, “Cancer made me realise nothing can be taken for granted. God will never give you a problem you can’t solve. My father died when I was two. My mother raised my sisters and I, and she did a fantastic job. My sisters went to Queens’ College and I went to Kings’ College, Lagos.”

Reflecting on the shifty nature of life’s sand, Farook said he experienced desertion when his life hit a rough patch. He revealed that discipline, focus and determination were life-saving tools needed for navigation on life’s weary road.

He said, “I was a director at the Nigerian Stock Exchange. When I left the Stock Exchange, the desertion began. When I was diagnosed with cancer, the desertion increased because many felt I would die. However, as some people were going out of my life, new ones were coming into my life in my hour of need; I got love from people I least expected just as I got ignored by some people I thought should give love.

“I’ll be 58 in a few days. My phone number has not changed in the last 18-20 years. I now get calls from people who have not said hi to me in the last 10 years. They’re now coming back in droves. To this kind of people, I greet them back by saying hi but I can’t rely on them; the door is closed.”

I asked Farook if his sickness had affected his sex drive. “I don’t have prostate cancer. My sex drive is perfect,” he said. I also asked him about the reaction of the Awujale after this year’s Ojude Oba blew the internet. “We haven’t spoken yet,” he responded. Did you ever contemplate suicide or suffer depression? I fired. “No, why would I contemplate such? Would you? Neither have I had depression,” came his cool answer.

Cautioning men not to fight their ex-wives, Farook said his ex-wife, a medical doctor based in the UK, was the one who made him go for a routine MIR test which revealed his cancer status. “It was her birthday and I flew to England. At some point in England, my ex-wife advised me to go for a test. Hitherto, I had done a prostate test in South Africa, and I was given a clean bill of health. I did the MIR test in the UK and flew back to Nigeria.

“After a few days, my ex-wife was on the phone crying. She asked if I was alone, I said yes, and she delivered the news. I said it wasn’t possible. I got a second and a third medical opinion. Then, reality set in. It’s good to have regular medical check-ups. Luckily, my cancer was discovered at stage one.”

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Do you have a will, I asked Farook. “I did my will a week after I was diagnosed,” he replied.

Asked if he saw the hand of God in the turn of events in his life, Farook said yes. “I never looked for this (new) role. I’ve been riding the horse and smoking my cigar at the Ojude Oba festival for 13 years. I’ve been with my tattoos. The photographer, Fola Stag, has long been participating in the festival. Some people said my horse was the biggest but I’ve been riding the same horse since. The difference is that this time, Fola Stag got a perfect shot from a great angle and the rest, like they say, is history. I see the hand of God in it all.”

The scion of Oreagba had special meals at a stage in his cancer battle, “but those days are over, I go to buka and eat anything now.”

Surely, cancer has changed the view of Farook about life. “I now look at life differently. I appreciate life more now. Each day is a gift. So, I ensure I live my life to the fullest, live life as normally as possible. I drink whisky. Caution is the word: chemo is a problem and so is hangover. So, if you drink and have a hangover, the two are very painful. I smoke my cigar four days a week, no cigarettes, no pipe. I’ve been playing squash since I was 11. I run at least three times a week. I wake up by 5 a.m. Before I go to work, I run 10 kilometres.

“I run half marathon, that is, 21 kilometres on weekends. I use the money I raise for my charity work, we have built a school and done some interventions,” the two-time divorcee said.

I called the Ojude Oba festival the cat’s pyjamas and described the Ijebu as the cat’s meow. If you called me names for this, it’s likely you don’t know the adjectives mean exceptionally excellent and very appealing. I forgive.

What’s your greatest wish, I inquired from Farooq. “My youngest child is 12 years old. My children are the centre point of my life. I want to be around for them. If I could live for another 20 years, I would say being diagnosed with cancer is the best thing that happened to me.”

Farook represents the resilient Nigerian spirit in the face of adversity. His is the telling tale of one lucky survivor who never thrust his fate to the dilapidated healthcare centres and infrastructure littering the Nigerian landscape. Instead of labelling Nigerians, especially the youths, as lazy, what governments at all levels should do is stop the crazy looting and make the commonwealth work for all.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com
Facebook: @Tunde Odesola
X: @Tunde_Odesola

Joseph Ebi Kanjo 

The Executive Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade, has charged journalists to be guided by the laws and codes governing elections.

He also charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to conduct themselves within the confines of the Constitution, urging them not to take sides with any political party or individuals.

Arogundade spoke in Benin on Friday at a two-day dialogue with media practitioners and critical stakeholders in the Edo State governorship electoral process.

He said that the programme was part of the activities being implemented by the IPC with support from the European Union for democratic governance in Nigeria.

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According to him, the project recognises elections as crucial building block for sustainable democratic practices in any democracy.

A cross section of journalists at the the two days dialogue.

Arogundade said for a free, fair, credible and peaceful governorship election in Edo State, all stakeholders must perform their roles without any bias, bearing in their minds the citizens’ interest.

He said: “It is the public interest that should constitute our guiding principles, and not any other interest, be it partisan, cultural, religion or political.”

The Executive Director who charged the police and other security agencies to ensure safety of journalists during and after the election, reminded the INEC and security agencies of the Nigeria media code of election coverage in the country.

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“Let me at this point draw the attention of the representative of the INEC, the police and the NSCDC to the fact that the Nigeria media code of election coverage requires the institutions to provide a conducive environment for the media and journalists to carry out their duties during elections.

Group photograph of participants at the two days dialogue in Benin.

“The government and its agency shall ensure free movement of journalists to any part of the country during elections.

“In this forthcoming Edo election, we expect the police to guarantee the safety of journalists, and for the police not to attack journalists. Where there are cases of attack on journalists, we expect prompt investigation,” he said.

Arogundade urged INEC to be proactive by providing journalists with necessary information regarding the election so as to aid factual and credible reporting of the electoral process and guide against misinformation.

On his part, one of the resource persons and the Executive Director, Journalism Clinic, Taiwo Ojo, urged journalists to leverage on modern technologies in telling their stories.

He emphasised the place of research and knowledge in journalism, stressing the need for journalists to use their professionalism in this social media age to fight misinformation even as the governorship draws nearer.