Nigeria as a country is faced with a severe food crisis as a result of climate change, insecurity, inconsistent government policies, lack of technology and insincerity of the government to support agriculture.
Governments over the years have failed to address the critical issues facing food production in the country which are insecurity and policies. Farmers, especially in the northern part of the country have abandoned their farms as a result of insecurity.
Farmers and herdsmen crisis appears to have secured a permanent place in the country as little or no effort is being made to address the issue; farmers continue to lose their lives to herdsmen attacks, also, the pastoralists lose their livestock while moving them around the country.
In the last two months, the people of Plateau state have buried over 100 persons killed by a militia group in the guise of herdsmen, also in Benue State, villages are being sacked by killer herdsmen and no visible action has been taken.
A new report from Cadre Harmonisé (CH) released on March 7th, 2025 revealed that 30.6 million Nigerians across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) could face a food crisis between June and August 2025.
The affected states include Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Edo, Enugu, FCT, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
Cadre Harmonisé is a survey carried out by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security with technical support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Norwegian Refugee Council, Care, Action Against Hunger, Save the Children and other partners.
This scary figure represented the failure of the government to address the challenges facing food production. With the renewed attacks on farming communities in Benue, and Plateau states, this figure will definitely surge during the next survey if actions are not taken.
Benue State popularly known as ‘the food basket of the nation’ cannot boast of that title again as killer herdsmen have continued to sack communities, with over 56 persons killed, farming activities halted and farms destroyed in some communities in the state.
Also, Plateau State is suffering a severe case than Benue as it has recorded more death in the recent past, many farming communities sacked, farmers kidnapped and killed.
Previously unknown terrorist group Mahmuda, operating around the Kainji Lake National Park, spanning parts of Kwara and Niger states, has taken control of several communities including Babana and Wawa Districts in Borgu LGA, Niger State.
This terrorist group has murdered more than 15 vigilante members and civilians in an attack on Kemanji, a rural community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Reports said the group collects levies from farmers and herders, impose religious restrictions, mount illegal roadblocks, regulate local disputes, and even coerce residents into forced labour.
The Nigerian government has continued to roll out distribution of farm inputs across the country to boost food production. These efforts will be wasted if insecurity and terrorism are not addressed.
Recently, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari witnessed the contract signing between the National Agriculture Development Fund (NADF) and AGCOOMS to deploy 2000 tractors across the country.
Farmers need to be on the farm in order to use the tractors to produce food. With the renewed attacks on farmers and their farms, these efforts will not yield desired results as farmers will not be on the farms to use the tractors for production.
Also, in Ondo, a state endowed with Cocoa production, killer herdsmen recently killed three farmers in Akure North which triggered mass protest in the state. No reasonable agricultural activity can happen in a country where farmers are killed daily.
The government must stop paying lip service to food security and address the issues of insecurity first before proceeding with procurement and distribution of farmer inputs to farmers.
Secondly, the government must find an everlasting solution to the movement of livestock by the herders from one state to another, destroying farmers’ crops in the farms which has been the major issue causing the killings.
There must be a continuous reorientation of the herders to address the cultural affiliation of moving livestock around from states to states.
The State governments in the northern part of the country should partner the federal government to establish ranching across the states which will go a long way in confining the livestock in a place, with proper feeding and medication.
When all these are done, then the government will be able to separate herdsmen from terrorists, which will make it easier for the security forces to neutralise them without the fear of killing innocent herdsmen.
Also, the government must provide security for farming communities. The Agro-Rangers must be strengthened to cover as many communities as it can in order to guarantee the safety of farmers. This will go a long way in making farmers return to farms.
Without addressing insecurity, all efforts the Nigerian government is making to achieve food security will be wasted as farmers will not be available on their farms to receive their inputs.
There is the need for the Federal government to work with the state governments and traditional institutes to identify the real herdsmen, bring them together and settle them in a place where they can have access to water and feed, then it will pave way for gradual elimination of the terrorist groups parading as herdsmen.
When this is done, then the government can go ahead and procure farm inputs to support farmers and food production, then there will be hope for Nigeria’s quest to achieve food security.
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