LIKE the proverbial tortoise, it has become the norm for Nigeria to always have a space among the comity of nations each time the world Bank, UNO or IMF role out negative predictions for countries around the world. In spite of the food shortage challenges already faced by Nigerians, many have continued to insinuate that tougher days await the citizens due to factors such as insecurity, criminal invasion of farms in the country, reduction in funds from international donors towards reducing hunger globally. The latest warning comes from the United Nations, predicting that about 55 million persons in West Africa will suffer from acute hunger in 2026.
Timely as this warning seems, there has not been any statement from the government of Nigeria, assuring citizens of plans to mitigate it despite the country being specifically mentioned as one of those to be affected.
Meanwhile, this prediction comes on the heels of the earlier one from the World Bank, stating that there will be about 56% increase in dimensional poverty in the land in 2027. According to a Chinese Philosopher, Confucius (551 BCE – 479 BCE); “in a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of”. This narrative must not continue to define Nigeria’s leadership mantra.
To avert the danger ahead as predicted by the World Bank and the UN therefore, all the major components of poverty and hunger must be brought down to the barest minimum, using both short and long term measures.
The time calls for government’s increased efforts towards creating an enabling environment for citizens to live with minimal hunger. And one of the things required for this to be accomplished is the provision for schemes that would enable farmers to collaborate with governments at all levels towards increased production of food and construction of more houses for the people to access with financial assistance and necessary subsidy arrangements with relevant authorities.
Fighting food insecurity to a winning point remains key to reducing poverty in the land. The Fulani herders must be dislodged from the bushes from where they lay siege on Nigerian farmers. Time has come for the federal government to begin to deploy modern methods of combating crimes – using devices such drones, Closed Circuit Cameras, CCTV and robust communications gadgets.
Besides, roads that lead to areas where farming activities are carried out must be properly positioned for agricultural produce to be transported to the urban centres with ease.
Tackling unemployment which significantly contributes to increased hunger and poverty requires a holistic approach even as care must be taken to differentiate between unemployment, unemployability and underemployment. The burden of providing employment for the populace must not be left in the hands of government alone. Once the necessary social amenities such as electricity, good network of roads and agricultural storage facilities are provided for the people, businesses of all kinds will begin to thrive, thereby reducing unemployment.
Emphases must also shift from mere acquisition of certificates from the country’s institutions of higher learning to that of acquiring skills that ensure involvement in entrepreneurial participation in the informal sector. This will also guarantee acceptance by employers in the organized private sector that constantly seek to employ skilled workers, unlike the employment policies of government that lay more emphases on requirements such as quota system and ‘who-you-know’..
Banks in the country must be made to embrace modern methods of participation in the growth of economies around the world. Young men and women with good business plans and proposals should be assisted with soft loans for take-offs and recapitalisations.
The Federal Government of Nigeria must also embrace credible advises from economic experts in addition to those of the president’s economic team. Along this direction, the government must study with care, a statement that recently emanated from the NACCIMA President, Dele Oye who who had outlined a 13-point short-term measure to halt and reverse the projected rise in poverty.
These, according to him, include targeted economic stimulus packages, greater investment in agriculture, expanded access to credit and microfinance, and supportive and predictable tax environment and robust vocational training programs for unemployed youth and women, amongst others.
On Economic Stimulus Packages, Oye who is also the Chairman of the Organized Private Sector states that;, “The government should implement well-structured and targeted stimulus packages focused on vulnerable populations. Such measures should include cash transfers, food assistance programmes, and direct support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to stimulate job creation”.
An African adage states that; “a war with pre-determined date of commencement has already lost the capacity to kill the cripple”. In this vein, Nigerian leaders with this privilege of knowing enough of the various crises ahead owe the citizens a duty to avert them.
