Nigeria’s twin crises of insecurity and skyrocketing food costs have left a staggering 79% of households without reliable access to food, with only a mere 21% enjoying food security.
Abuja played host to the launch of the seminal 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrients Survey report, a collaborative effort between the Federal Government, global partners, and food sector players, offering a detailed examination of Nigeria’s food environment.
A whopping 79% of Nigerian households are food insecure, according to the report, with 59% experiencing moderate difficulties and 20% facing severe food shortages, highlighting the depth of the country’s food crisis.
According to Dr. Olarinwaju Isiaka, a key researcher, a significant 41.5% of households in Nigeria struggled to purchase food in the 7 days prior to the survey, with a further 4% barely able to access minimal sustenance.
Dr. Isiaka shed light on the report’s focus, explaining that this rare and insightful publication zeroes in on vulnerable demographics: women in their prime childbearing years, young children aged 0-59 months, and adolescent girls.
On the issue of hygiene, he said about 23 percent households in Nigeria are not having toilet facility.
Further breakdown of the report indicates that 62.9% of households in Nigeria within the period under review have access to improved water sources and another 42.6% have access to borehole water system, while 17.40% households have access to protective well water.
Read also: Inflation Sparks Concern Among Lagos Food Traders
Also, the report says 1.1% households have water piped into access to pipe borne water.
A regional breakdown reveals stark disparities in access to clean water, with the South East and South South zones struggling with limited piped water supply and relying heavily on boreholes, while the Western and Northern regions enjoy relatively better access, followed by the South South zone.
Speaking on the report, the Country Director of GAIN , Dr. Michael Ojo said it was worrisome ‘‘that we are not going forward in water supply from 11-1.1%, showing a decline of 10% within a period of 10 years’’.
Nigeria’s food insecurity stems from a fragmented approach, where stakeholders work independently without addressing the underlying issues. To transform the food system, a concerted effort is necessary, considering the entire value chain, from farm to table, to create a resilient and sustainable food future.
Furthermore, he highlighted that a staggering 20-24% of food produced in Nigeria is lost during the pre and post-production stages, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced capacity building and value addition to mitigate this waste and ensure a more sustainable food supply chain.
To tackle the escalating poverty crisis in Nigeria, he emphasized that addressing the root causes of poverty and ensuring access to nutritious food are crucial first steps, as a hungry population cannot escape the cycle of poverty.