Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has expressed concern over the worsening food situation in northern Nigeria, describing the looming hunger crisis as avoidable and blaming it on poor leadership, insecurity and inadequate investment in agriculture.
Obi made the remarks in a statement posted on his X account on Saturday while reacting to the latest warning by the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), which projected a sharp rise in hunger across parts of northern Nigeria.
According to him, the report is particularly troubling because northern Nigeria has long been regarded as the country’s food-producing region.
“The recent report from the UN about the impending food crisis in northern Nigeria is disheartening, more so because it is avoidable. Northern Nigeria is the nation’s food basket, and nothing short of incompetent and irresponsible leadership could have created this tragedy.”
The former Labour Party presidential candidate said he had earlier urged the Federal Government and state governments to shift their attention from political debates to practical measures that would improve food production and protect farmers.
He called for greater investment in securing farming communities, increased support for smallholder farmers and stronger collaboration with the World Food Programme and other development partners.
“I called on the Federal Government and state leaders to move beyond mere political discourse and make transparent, upfront investments to secure agricultural corridors, support smallholder farmers with accessible resources, and collaborate vigorously with organisations like the World Food Programme (WFP) to bridge funding gaps before this crisis escalates and claims more lives, especially those of children.”
Obi said he was particularly disturbed by reports that more than 17 million people across nine northern states are facing crisis-level hunger, while over 35 million Nigerians could experience severe food insecurity during the current lean season.
He also described reports that more than 10,000 people in Borno State have entered “catastrophic” hunger conditions as a national tragedy.
“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.”
According to Obi, the country’s food crisis is largely driven by insecurity and the inability of farmers to safely access their farmlands, arguing that banditry and insurgency have displaced many farming communities.
“This food crisis stems from two critical structural failures: insecurity and farmers’ inability to access their lands. Banditry and insurgency have turned agrarian communities into displacement zones. Until we secure our agricultural areas, we cannot secure our future.”
The former Anambra State governor further criticised what he described as the government’s reliance on short-term solutions, insisting that Nigeria must adopt policies capable of boosting agricultural productivity and developing rural infrastructure.
He urged leaders to prioritise production over consumption, saying the country has the resources needed to overcome hunger and poverty if the right decisions are made.
“A New Nigeria, devoid of hunger and mass poverty, a Nigeria where we transform our arable land into productive acreage, remains attainable, but it demands leadership that prizes the lives and livelihoods of the Nigerian people above grandiose road dualisation projects.”
Obi maintained that with the right leadership and sustained investment in agriculture, Nigeria can reverse the growing food crisis and guarantee food security for its citizens.