Nigerian Senate Warns Tinubu: Act on Food Scarcity Before Patience Runs Out

The Senate has urgently called on the federal government to address the escalating hunger crisis caused by food insecurity, which has reached emergency levels.

The Senate urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to implement measures to combat the current food insecurity, emphasizing that patience and tolerance among Nigerians are wearing thin due to increasing hunger and poverty.

The Senate warned of a looming crisis, stressing that the Executive must act swiftly to prevent unrest. The Senate noted that the prices of goods and household consumables have risen significantly, leading to high inflation and deteriorating living conditions for most Nigerians.

To address the food scarcity emergency, the Federal Government has deployed 60 trucks of fertilizers to each of the 36 states, distributed among Senators and House members.

These resolutions followed a motion titled “Urgent Need to Address Food Insecurity and Market Exploitation of Consumables In Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) and co-sponsored by Senate Whip Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South).

Senator Karimi highlighted that food inflation has skyrocketed to 40.66% year-on-year, significantly higher than the 24.82% recorded in May 2023. He attributed the rising costs to factors like insecurity in food-producing regions, bad roads, transportation costs due to fuel subsidy removal, and Naira depreciation. However, he also blamed merchants and retailers for exploiting the situation to make supernormal profits.

Senator Ndume expressed concern over Nigeria’s recent inclusion in the list of countries facing severe food insecurity. He cited reports indicating that over 32 million people are expected to face a critical hunger crisis between June and August.

Former Senate President Ahmad Lawan warned that patience is wearing thin, particularly in the North, where many struggle to find food daily. He criticized the Federal Government for having empty food reserves and emphasized the urgent need for action.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio linked the food insecurity to the broader issue of insecurity ravaging the country and called for immediate measures to ensure food availability.