Peter Obi cautions that food shortages are intensifying in northern Nigeria

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has sounded the alarm on a burgeoning food crisis in northern Nigeria, citing a recent United Nations report that reveals over 17 million people across nine states in the region are grappling with crisis-level hunger.

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This dire situation, which the World Food Programme has described as the worst in nearly a decade, is attributed by Obi to incompetent and irresponsible leadership, particularly given the North's reputation as the country's food basket.

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Obi warned that more than 35 million Nigerians nationwide are at risk of slipping into hunger during the ongoing lean season, while over 10,000 residents of Borno State have already succumbed to "catastrophic" hunger conditions, as classified by aid agencies.

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In a post on his X handle on Saturday, Obi expressed deep concern over the UN's World Food Programme report, which indicates that northern Nigeria is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis in nearly a decade, with over 17 million people in nine northern states facing crisis-level hunger.

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Obi noted that the fact that over 10,000 residents of Borno State have entered "catastrophic" hunger conditions is a stark reminder of the immense human suffering and profound national failure that Nigeria is facing.

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According to Obi, Nigeria's ranking among the world's hungriest nations is inexcusable, given the fertile, largely uncultivated land in the North, and he attributed the crisis to two structural failures: insecurity and the inability of farmers to access their farmlands.

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Obi stated that banditry and insurgent attacks have turned agrarian communities into displacement camps, highlighting the need to address these structural failures to secure the country's future.

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He emphasized that the food crisis stems from the inability of farmers to access their lands and the pervasive insecurity in the region, saying "this food crisis stems from two critical structural failures: insecurity and farmers' inability to access their lands."

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Obi called on the Federal Government and state leaders to invest in securing agricultural corridors and supporting smallholder farmers with accessible resources, urging them to move beyond political rhetoric and make transparent, upfront investments.

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He also urged closer collaboration with the World Food Programme to bridge funding gaps before the crisis claims more lives, particularly those of children, emphasizing the need for immediate action to address the crisis.

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The United Nations World Food Programme had earlier reported that the escalating conflict and dwindling humanitarian funding are pushing northern Nigeria into its worst hunger crisis in nearly a decade, with millions of people facing severe food insecurity.

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According to the Cadre Harmonisé analysis, more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected states in northern Nigeria are experiencing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger, representing an increase of almost two million people since the previous projections.