UN urges Nigeria to prioritize food security, urges dedicated budgetary allocation
Nigeria, Ngala, Borno state, 27 November 2016 More than 45,000 people received life-saving food or nutrition support in northeastern Nigeria in the last week through a new tactic by the World Food Programme (WFP) to reach those in the most remote, hard-to-access places hit by Boko Haram violence. With support from UNICEF, WFP designed a Rapid Response Mechanism to supply food, nutrition and health support to people most in need in Borno and Yobe states by flying teams of specialists to remote areas where they stay up to six days. The assistance is then brought in by road. The tactic targets areas where no humanitarian assistance has so far been provided or where access is severely limited or irregular. These missions help avert famine and aim to reach tens of thousands of hungry people stranded in remote areas or in areas difficult to access due to insecurity. They have gone without assistance food or nutrition support -- for months, said Sory Ouane, WFP Nigeria Country Director. In November, around half a million people received WFP food or cash in the northeast and nutritious supplements were given to nearly 100,000 children to fight malnutrition. With 12 missions per month, WFP plans to provide food and nutrition support to nearly 300,000 people through the Rapid Response Mechanism including children under five and pregnant and nursing women. Other organizations can join to complement assistance to the most remote communities. UNICEF aims to treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition; immunize children against common killer diseases; and work to improve water, sanitation, health and education. Some 4.6 million people are going hungry in northeastern Nigeria, of whom nearly two million need urgent humanitarian assistance. In some areas, more than 50 percent of children under the age of five suffer from moderate acute malnutrition or severe acute malnutrition. Hunger and malnutrition rates have improved considerably in areas that became ac
The United Nations has appealed to the Federal Government of Nigeria to make a dedicated budgetary allocation for food security, describing the current situation where Nigerians spend over 65% of their salary on food as “unacceptable”.
Dr. Hameed Nuru, a veterinarian and food security advocate with the UN World Food Programme, made the call during a lecture at the University of Ilorin, north central Nigeria, stressing that food security is linked to national security and economic prosperity.
The WFP official suggested that the government should prioritize indigenous food production and processing, and attract more youth into the agricultural sector.
He also emphasized the need for a policy that will enable citizens to have access to food, rather than just handing out food without developing their economic capacity.
According to him, Nigeria is predicted to have one million malnourished children by August this year due to conflicts, insecurity, and climate change.
In order to correct the situation, he proffers short and long term solutions which include increased supply of fertilizers, dedicated financing of food budget and attracting youth to modern farming.
On its part, the Kwara State government highlighted various steps taken to facility and ensure availability of food to the citizens.
The UN World Food Programme in Nigeria has targeted 2.6 million beneficiaries in 2024, and has already supported 1.3 million beneficiaries in the first quarter of the year.
The organization’s response and interventions include food assistance, nutrition, resilience, capacity strengthening, logistics, and UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS).
