How state of emergency on food security go affect average Nigerians - Experts tok

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday 13 July declare state of emergency on food security to respond to di current food inflation for di kontri.

Na Dele Alake, di president special adviser on special duties (communications and strategy), announce di declaration for press briefing for Abuja on Thursday.

Recently, Nigerians don dey lament di high prices of food items and as dem continue to struggle wit di effect, di federal goment remove subsidy on petroleum products — and dis one don further throw low income earners into economic hardship.

Wetin state of emergency on food security mean and im impact

Nigerian economist Bismarck Rewane wey tok wit di BBC News tok say declaring state of emergency on food security mean say di goment don recognise emergency situation and dem dey take steps to resolve am.

“Emergency na desperate situation wey call for desperate measures. E mean priority. So di declaration of state of emergency on food security na sake of say food prices don increase, food supplies don decline, and cost don increase beyond dia food obligations,” e tok.

Di economist tok say di current exchange rate go positively impact di federal goment intervention on food security.

“Di floating of di naira go be di main policy measure wey go get effect on food prices domestically,” e tell BBC News.

E tok say di goment gatz lead by example by limiting dia excesses if dem wan achieve success wit dia intervention. E add say intentions no dey solve problem, but na actual impact dey solve am.

One investment analyst wey also follow BBC News tok believe say for kontri like Nigeria to effectively fight food insecurity, e gatz win di war against insecurity.

Victor Aluyi say di federal goment intervention no go amount to anytin if insecurity if insecurity continue for northern part of di kontri.

Oda sabi pipo also agree wit Aluyi, and dis na why di goment don promise to engage security architecture to protect di farms and farmers so dem go fit return to dia farmlands without fear of attacks.

Aluyi, however, tok say make Nigerians expect improvement in food price for di coming weeks.

“Make Nigerians expect some amelioration for food prices, no be sharp sharp but maybe ova di next couple of weeks, food prices fit come down a bit. But I no expect say e go be anytin drastic or huge,” Aluyi tell di BBC News.

Nigeria economic situation

Di bad economic environment for Nigeria don continue to leave di pipo for poverty, and dis one don encourage di trend of japa.

According to di World Bank, as Nigeria population continue to grow pass poverty reduction, di number of Nigerians wey dey live below di national poverty line go rise by 13 million between 2019 and 2025.

Di World Bank project say di kontri economy go grow by an average of 2.9% per year between 2023 and 2025 and dem add say na services, trade and manufacturing go likely drive growth.

Wetin di intervention aim to achieve

Alake tok say di federal goment wan deploy some savings from di fuel subsidy removal into di agricultural sector to make am beta.

Di goment highlight some strategies wey dem go implement as part of di intervention, some of dem include:

- Immediate release of fertilisers and grains to farmers and households so goment go fit mitigate di effects of di subsidy removal.

- To get urgent synergy between di Ministry of Agriculture and di Ministry of Water Resources to ensure sayt adequate irrigation of farmlands dey and to guarantee say di kontri dey produce food all-year round.

- To create and support National Commodity Board wey go review and continuously assess food prices as well as maintain strategic food reserve wey dem go use as price stabilisation mechanism for critical grains and oda food items. Through dis board, goment go moderate high and low in food prices.

- To engage security architecture to protect di farms and di farmers so farmers go fit return to dia farmlands without fear of attacks.

- To collaborate wit mechanisation companies to clear more forests and make dem available for farming.

- To improve transportation, storage and export by working wit di Nigeria Customs Service to eliminate di wahala for exporting and importing food items as well as intra-city transportation through tolling.

Wetin fit be di challenges of dis intervention?

Di challenge wey di federal government intervention go face na insecurity, according to Aluyi.

E tok say Nigeria dey lucky e no get serious environmental issues wey dey threaten food security.

“Yes we get flood last year, but for dis part of the world, we no get major disasters wey dey threaten food security. Dose ones no be di issue, di issue dey around ensuring say dem remove food from where dem produce am to where dem need am, and di security issue gatz dey addressed,” Aluyi tok.

According to am, if di issue of insecurity don addressed, di oda issues dey easier to tackle.