Make dedicated budgetary allocation for food security, UN expert urges FG

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A veterinarian and food security advocate of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Dr Hameed Nuru, has described as unacceptable the statistical data showing that Nigerians spend over 65 per cent of their salary on food consumption as against 5-6 per cent they should spend on food.

The UN expert said on Wednesday in Ilorin while delivering the University of Ilorin’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine maiden annual lecture in honour of a former deputy vice-chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and first professor from Ilorin Emirate in Kwara state, Professor Saka Nuru.

Dr. Nuru, whose lecture was titled, ‘Navigating the nexus of food security, safety and diseases: a holistic sustainable future and economic prosperity,’ suggested that the federal and state governments should make a dedicated annual budgetary allocation for food security.

He disclosed that Nigeria is predicted to have one million malnourished children from August this year due to conflicts, insecurity, and climate change, especially in the North East, a replica of the situation in Somalia.

“Government should come up with policy that will make citizens have access to food. It’s undignifying to always hand over food to people without developing their economic capacity to be able to access the food themselves”, he said.

The lecturer, who said that there will never be a future in the country without food security, added, “It’s not the oil, and not the diamond, but food security that can guarantee Nigeria’s future”.

Nuru, who is the director of the African Union Global Office and representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa also said that food security is linked with national security.

He also suggested that Nigerian governments and people should prioritise and promote indigenous food against processed and imported food, saying that about $60.8 billion was used by Africa to import food annually.

“Africa should move away from agriculture for the stomach to agriculture for wealth. Africa should strengthen agriculture production to address food security”.

He also opined that government policy should attract more youth into the agricultural sector, saying that “the sector will have to be more attractive and lucrative, especially commodities, markets, transport, storage, processing, links etc.

“Encouraging and supporting the African Free Continental trade agreement: Food commodities should be the primary focus. Regional and continental trade of food and other products such as minerals should be encouraged.”

Nuru said that WFP’s response and interventions encompassed food assistance, nutrition, resilience, capacity strengthening, logistics, and UNHAS.

“WFP is prioritizing 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, as well as vulnerable members of host communities and people returning home after months of displacement.

“WFP has targeted 2.6 million beneficiaries in 2024 and was able to support 1.3 million beneficiaries in the first quarter of 2024,” he added.

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