- Say There’s Urgent Need To Address Connection Between Food Inflation, Insecurity
- Reduce FX Demand Due To Dependence On Imported Goods, Services
- Reviewing Extant Criminal Justice Laws In States To Ensure Quick Dispensation Of Justice
Following the rising cost of living and the mounting insecurity in Nigeria, Nigerian governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Thursday, February 8, 2024 met with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu to address the issues.
The Matrix reports that protests have broken out in Nigeria as residents of Niger and Kano states took to the street to display their anger over the rising cost of living and mounting insecurity.
Earlier, a report had emerged that in 2024, Nigeria is expected to see about 26.5 million people grappling with high levels of food insecurity, moreover, approximately 9 million children are at risk of suffering from acute malnutrition or wasting.
Of these, an alarming 2.6 million children could face Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and require critical nutrition treatment.
The Cadre Harmonisé, an initiative focused on food and nutrition analysis, conducts studies biannually (in March and October) across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). With the Government’s leadership and the United Nations (UN) system’s support, the latest projection for 2024 indicates a sharp rise from the 18.6 million people currently vulnerable to food insecurity from October to December 2023.
Several factors are reported to be driving this trend, including ongoing conflicts, climate change impacts, escalating inflation, and rising costs of both food and essential non-food commodities (in part due to the devaluation of the naira and the discontinuation of the fuel subsidy). Persistent violence in the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) hinders food availability and access.
Additionally, armed banditry and kidnappings in northwest and north-central states, including Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue, and Niger, exacerbate the prevailing economic struggles.
The issue of rising insecurity also got the attention of the Nigerian lawmakers who earlier scheduled a meeting with the security chiefs to find a way to curb the menace of criminals in the country.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC, Lagos East), dropped the hint of the meeting but it was postponed to February 13, 2024 to give room for more relevant stakeholders to be involved in the high-stake meeting.
Reacting to these developments that threaten the well-being of the country, at the meeting that had a representative of the Department of State Services (DSS), the governors agreed to support the NSA office in the states to enhance the nature and quality of intelligence.
They also called for the reduction of Foreign Exchange demand by use of moral suasion to reduce dependence on foreign exchange, imported goods and services as a way of nipping in the bud, the current security situation and food stability in the country.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the NGF Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, at the end of the first emergency virtual meeting in 2024.
According to the statement, the governors reiterated their commitment to deploying emergency food interventions, including incentivising food production, release of food items from strategic food reserves and collaboration with food millers and commodity traders in their various states to boost food availability as an immediate short-term action.
The statement read: “We, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), at our emergency virtual meeting held the 6th February, 2024 following a briefing by National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the representative of the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS), deliberated on the security situation and food stability in the country and resolved as follows:
“Recognised the need to address the connection between food inflation, naira depreciation and rising insecurity across parts of the country from a systemic perspective and called for urgent discussions with and synergy amongst stakeholders in improving the situation in the shortest possible time.
“Agreed on the following immediate actions: Reduce Foreign Exchange Demand: by use of moral suasion to reduce dependence on foreign exchange, imported goods and services. Improve Foreign Exchange Supply: by easing commodity export requirements to encourage exportation and supply of foreign exchange; Curbing illegal export of solid minerals; and increasing crude oil production to earn more foreign exchange.
“Support improved Enforcement efforts: by reviewing the extant criminal justice laws in the States to ensure quick dispensation of justice on perpetrators of insecurity in the States; supporting the office of the National Security Adviser in the States to enhance the nature and quality of intelligence.
“Reiterated Governors’ commitment to deploying emergency food interventions, including incentivizing food production, release of food items from strategic food reserves and collaboration with food millers and commodity traders in their various States to boost food availability as an immediate short-term action.”
