The soaring prices of goods and services since the removal of petroleum subsidy is frightening and disturbing. The prices of grains and other essential food items in local markets which were hitherto cheap and affordable have skyrocketed beyond the reach of the common man.
The World Bank has released a damning report of 4 million nigerians who slided into poverty in the last six months and warned that another 7.1 million are likely to fall into poverty by the end of the year unless government quickly rolls out palliatives to cushion the effects of subsidy removal.
Even before the removal of subsidy, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) had predicted that, Nigeria faces imminent famine this year. FAO’s prediction is premised on the ongoing war in Ukraine, banditry and farmers/herders crises in the North-west and North-central zones.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states have been hard hit by the activities of bandits. Farmers have been sacked or driven away from their ancestral homes. The worrisome activities of bandits will adversely affect food production, spike food prices and lead to hunger.
The federal government plans to disburse N500 billion palliatives to poor Nigerians. Under the plan, N8,000 will be distributed to each of 12 million selected Nigerians for the period of six months. In the short term, the safety net will temporarily relieve poverty among the beneficiaries, but in the long run, when the payment stops, poverty may jump up.
Instead of doling out billions of naira to Nigerians, the government should subsidise farm produce, healthcare and improve irrigation and mechanised farming to augment seasonal rain farming.
While the immediate-past President Muhammadu Buhari administration had opened two borders to ameliorate food shortages, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government should follow suit and open the remaining borders.
The rising cost of essential foods calls for prompt action. Insecurity which plagues the North should be squarely addressed to guarantee food security. It is inarguable to say that millions of Nigerians hardly eat one square meal let alone three a day.
,Ibrahim Mustapha
Pambegua, Kaduna state
08169056963.
