Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has lamented the worsening hunger crisis in northern Nigeria, saying “I’m deeply troubled”.
He made this known on Saturday in a post shared on his X handle titled, “UN’s Warning on Northern Nigeria’s Food Crisis”.
The former Anambra State governor described the situation as avoidable, blaming it on what he labelled “incompetent and irresponsible leadership”.
He decried the latest warning by the World Food Programme, noting that northern Nigeria was once regarded as the country’s food basket.
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He went on to assert that the report simply indicated that the region is experiencing its worst hunger crisis in nearly a decade, with more than 17 million people across nine northern states facing crisis-level hunger and over 35 million Nigerians nationwide at risk during the current lean season.
Obi continued: “The fact that over 10,000 residents of Borno State have entered ‘catastrophic’ hunger conditions represents not only immense human suffering but also a profound national failure.
“Nigeria should not rank among the world’s hungriest nations, given its abundant resources, particularly the vast stretches of fertile, uncultivated land in the North,” he said.
According to him, the worsening food crisis is largely driven by insecurity, which has prevented farmers from accessing their farmlands, while banditry and insurgency have turned many farming communities into displacement zones.
Obi urged the Federal Government and state governments to prioritise investments in securing agricultural corridors, supporting smallholder farmers with accessible resources, and strengthening collaboration with the World Food Programme to address funding gaps before the situation deteriorates further.