Beyond Fasting: Solving Nigeria's Food Crisis with Action, Not Prayer
According
to the article by Punch with the title "Nigeria
Hunger Crisis: Fasting Won't Solve Food Shortage" Nigeria, by
contrast, boasts fertile land, abundant rainfall, and a youthful population,
yet struggles to feed itself. Here is the summary of the story:
- Controversial Fasting Directive: Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture
initially urged staff to fast and pray for three days in response to
growing food insecurity. Public backlash led to the cancellation of the
directive.
- Criticism of Spiritual Approach: The editorial criticized the reliance on
spiritual measures rather than science-based, practical interventions. It
called the move irrational given the scale of the hunger crisis.
- Food Insecurity Crisis:
- Over 25 million Nigerians faced severe
food shortages in 2024.
- Prices of key staples like rice, garri,
beans, and yam have risen over 300%.
- Malnutrition and preventable diseases are surging, especially among children.
- Root Causes Identified:
- Insecurity in
major agricultural states (e.g., Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara) has displaced
thousands of farmers.
- Poor infrastructure leads to massive post-harvest losses (up to
$9 billion/year).
- Mismanagement of fertilizer subsidies and lack of storage solutions compound the problem.
