Nigerian Government Blames High Cost of Food on Insecurity

The Federal Government of Nigeria has identified food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate change as the main causes of the country’s declining incomes and rising food prices.

According to a statement by the ministry’s spokesperson, Olude Omolade, the Permanent Secretary for Budget and Planning, Nebolisa Anako, made this declaration at a current workshop in Abuja on developing an implementation strategy for the Nigeria Food Systems Transformation Pathways.

Anako, who was represented by Zakari Lawani, Director of National Monitoring and Evaluation, described the ongoing program as an appeal for action to advance the resolution of problems with poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease, unemployment, conflict, and changing weather patterns.

“It suffices to say that food insecurity and malnutrition as well as the influence of climate change have resulted in lower incomes and higher prices for foods,” Anako noted.

“This has indeed put food out of the reach of many and undermined the right to food thereby stalling the efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals that emphasized ‘zero hunger,” the Permanent Secretary for Budget and Planning, added.

This claim is consistent with the National Bureau of Statistics’ most recent report, which found that an increase in the cost of bread, cereal, rent, potatoes, yams, tubers, vegetables, and meat caused inflation to rise in February.

A statement by the National Bureau of Statistics reads in part, “the contributions of items on a class basis to the increase in the headline inflation index are presented, thus: bread and cereal (21.67%), actual and imputed rent (7.74%, potatoes, yam, and other tubers (6.06%), vegetable (5.44%), and meat (4.78%).”

Agro Nigeria / F.I