Battered by soaring food prices and economic hardship afflicting the masses, state governors across Nigeria are taking bold actions and rolling up their sleeves to address the nation’s growing food insecurity crisis.
From raiding warehouses to curb hoarding to establishing agencies to subsidize food costs, governors are employing a wide range of interventions targeted at increasing food supplies and making food more affordable for citizens grappling with a painful spike in costs.
The sobering economic realities have spurred an uncommon degree of urgency and cooperation among governors, who are working closely with the federal government and agricultural authorities to dramatically boost food production and tame rampant inflation that has made basics like grains and other staples too costly for millions of Nigerians.
With Nigeria’s food now the cheapest in West Africa, prompting exports that worsen domestic shortages, governors recognize the imperative to rapidly ramp up production and yields to feed the nation and position Nigeria as an agricultural exporter.
A report released by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and signed by the acting head of media of the Governors Forum Halimah Salihu Ahmed said that the governors have taken several proactive steps to counter the present food crisis as well as the inherent economic hardships
In one of the most aggressive moves, authorities in Kano State have raided warehouses where traders are suspected of hoarding food, while Niger State has banned mass purchases from local markets and ordered security forces to confiscate trucks carrying foods in bulk for distribution to citizens.
Yobe State has prohibited bulk grain buying from markets to stem scarcity and rising costs. These drastic steps underscore the dire situation and the urgency to act before the crisis escalates further.
Other states like Akwa Ibom are pursuing a more conventional supply-side approach, working to establish an agency to buy food in bulk and then sell it to residents at discounted prices through transparent processes.
The proposed agency awaits approval from the state assembly but offers a straightforward method to increase affordable food access.
In Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah said his administration will eradicate hunger and poverty in the state and unlock the rural economy through investment in agriculture and agro-industrialisation.
Similarly, the Ekiti State government has earmarked 1 billion naira to boost production through a land preparation and tractorisation program supporting small farmers.
Another 1.2 billion naira is being channeled into the livestock sector to transform that vital component of the agricultural economy.
According to the report from the NGF secretariat, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, who is also Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, in collaboration with the Governors Agbu Kefas of Taraba State; Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State; and Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) to interface with the federal government and push for increased crop production to tackle food inflation and food shortages in Nigeria.
It is instructive to note that Governors are not just throwing money at the problem but scrutinizing previous agriculture initiatives to determine what worked and what requires a new approach.
The CBN’s Anchor Borrower’s Program, which struggled to achieve meaningful impact, is being reevaluated. At the federal level, there is a determined push to increase dry season crop cultivation by distributing seeds and inputs to farmers, with states vying to participate through competitive bids.
The renewed focus on agriculture as an economic driver, employer and path to prosperity is welcomed by stakeholders, including farmer groups who have called for more public-private partnerships and modernization of outdated practices.
Food security is not just about growing more crops – it’s about overhauling systems and policies to make agriculture a viable vocation and business that can feed the nation’s booming population.
One novel idea gaining traction is developing “City to Farm” programs to engage urban youth in agriculture and small-scale farming as a career path and entrepreneurial opportunity.
States like Osun are keen to embrace this concept to boost production. Regional farmer’s markets to connect growers with buyers are another innovative solution being explored.
While states concentrate on production, investments in storage, cold chains, and food processing facilities are still lacking and perpetuate high post-harvest losses that undermine food availability.
The African Development Bank’s Agroprocessing Zone program may catalyze more investments, but funding and technical know-how remain obstacles. Public-private partnerships and foreign direct investment can inject needed capital and skills in this arena.
Some worry the governors’ interventions, while well-intentioned, may create new market distortions and unintended consequences. Direct sales of discounted foods by states could undermine private sector markets, while bans and raids, if heavy-handed, could disrupt functioning distribution channels.
A balanced, holistic strategy that engages rather than crowds out farmers, traders, and agro-allied businesses may be more sustainable.
There are also concerns the current efforts may fizzle out if high prices ease as the political incentive dissipates. For solutions to endure, they must be institutionalized within a coherent national food security framework rather than ad-hoc responses.
Environmental advocates caution that the rush to expand cultivation should not neglect sustainable farming practices given Nigeria’s vulnerability to climate change and drought.
Potential the overuse of fertilizers, insecticides and water resources need safeguards. “We cannot keep squeezing more from the land using 20th century methods,” stated one agriculture expert.
Impressively, even states not typically associated with large-scale farming like Lagos are devising agricultural development roadmaps to contribute to national food security through initiatives like a red meat feedlot system and butcher training academy.
The diversification beyond cash crops augurs well for balanced growth.
Ultimately, the governors deserve credit for swiftly mobilizing and employing their limited resources to confront the crisis head-on rather than sitting idle. Prior federal interventions often faltered due to poor state-level coordination and follow-through. This new resolve at the sub-national level, coupled with the president’s personal engagement in convening governors and his administration’s policy focus on agriculture, offers hope that this time, solutions may gain substantive traction.
For the beleaguered masses spending ever more of their meager incomes on basics like gari, rice, and beans, affordable food remains stubbornly out of reach. Each day that passes portends a toll on household nutrition, personal savings, and economic productivity.
Their governors have heard the cri de coeur and are responding with welcome governmental action.
Whether this intervention blooms into a holistic, sustainable renaissance of Nigeria’s strategic agriculture sector remains to be seen. But the seeds of potential transformation are being planted.
