By Chimezie Godfrey
The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has warned that Nigeria’s growing food crisis will worsen unless leaders place the welfare of citizens above politics and embark on deliberate investments in agriculture and security.
Obi made the call while reacting to a warning by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) that more than 17 million people in northern Nigeria are at risk of acute hunger.
In a statement posted on his X handle and made available by his spokesman on Saturday, Obi described the situation as both disturbing and avoidable, insisting that a country blessed with vast agricultural resources should not be facing widespread hunger.
”The recent report from the UN about the impending food crisis in northern Nigeria is disheartening, more so because it is avoidable. Northern Nigeria is the nation’s food basket, and nothing short of incompetent and irresponsible leadership could have created this tragedy,” he said.
Obi urged the Federal Government and state governments to move beyond political rhetoric by making strategic investments in agriculture and food security.
According to him, “Our national leaders must reassess their priorities and address the dire circumstances facing our citizens. The Federal Government and state leaders must move beyond mere political discourse and make transparent, upfront investments to secure agricultural corridors, support smallholder farmers with accessible resources, and collaborate vigorously with organisations like the World Food Programme (WFP) to bridge funding gaps before this crisis escalates and claims more lives, especially those of children.
”A prosperous Nigeria, free from hunger, is achievable, but it requires leadership that prioritises the welfare of its citizens.”
The former Anambra State governor said he was deeply troubled by reports indicating that northern Nigeria is facing its worst hunger crisis in almost a decade.
”I am deeply troubled by the latest report from the UN’s World Food Programme, indicating that northern Nigeria is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis in nearly a decade. Over 17 million people in nine northern states face crisis-level hunger, with more than 35 million Nigerians nationwide at risk during this challenging season.
”The fact that over 10,000 residents of Borno State have entered ‘catastrophic’ hunger conditions represents not only immense human suffering but also a profound national failure. Nigeria should not rank among the world’s hungriest nations, given its abundant resources, particularly the vast stretches of fertile, uncultivated land in the North,” he said.
Obi identified insecurity and the inability of farmers to access their farmlands as the major causes of the country’s food crisis.
”This food crisis stems from two critical structural failures: insecurity and farmers’ inability to access their lands. Banditry and insurgency have turned agrarian communities into displacement zones. Until we secure our agricultural areas, we cannot secure our future,” he pointed out.
He also criticised what he described as superficial policies that fail to address the structural challenges facing agriculture.
He said,”Our global hunger ranking continues to worsen because of our proclivity for adopting superficial measures that do little to boost agricultural productivity or transform rural infrastructure. We need to adopt policies that address the structural barriers to agricultural productivity and transform our land resources into agro-industrial output. We can overcome hunger and poverty if we urgently shift our focus from consumption to production.”
Obi maintained that Nigeria has the potential to eliminate hunger and poverty if governments focus on productive investments.
”A new Nigeria, devoid of hunger and mass poverty – a Nigeria where we transform our arable land into productive acreage – remains attainable, but it demands leadership that values the lives and livelihoods of the Nigerian people above grandiose road dualisation projects.
”A new Nigeria is possible,” he said.
Peter Obi Warns of Worsening Hunger, Urges Leaders to Prioritise Nigerians’ Welfare
