The Nigeria Youth Forum (NYF) has said that Nigeria’s worsening food insecurity is down to systemic corruption. The group recently revealed that if urgent action is not taken, more than 25 million Nigerians could face acute hunger in the near future.
Speaking via a press statement, the national president of NYF, Comrade Toriah Olajide Filani, said that the diversion of agricultural machinery and poor budgetary commitments are a major source of worry that should be addressed soon.
He revealed that the country’s dependence on food imports and foreign aid is a national disaster and policy failure, and it is such a huge shame considering how vast Nigeria’s land resources are.
According to him, just 35 per cent of the country’s cultivable land is presently in use, mainly by smallholder farmers operating at subsistence levels who have no access to modern tools or support services.
Comrade Toriah blasted the consistent underfunding of the agricultural sector, stating that the nation allocated just 1.32 per cent of its 2024 national budget to agriculture, way below the 10% benchmark recommended by the African Union under the Maputo and Malabo Declarations.
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“Government may be trying on paper, but the reality is different in the fields. Agricultural machineries meant for community use are being diverted by individuals and sold off. These acts sabotage every effort aimed at achieving food sufficiency.
What we have is a pattern of underinvestment, where only 15 to 19 percent of what is budgeted ends up reaching the sector. The rest is either lost to bureaucratic bottlenecks or corruption,” he said.
Highlighting the key role agriculture plays in tackling youth unemployment, enhancing GDP, and addressing rural insecurity, he referenced states like Kano, where sustained investments in agricultural infrastructure have led to fewer cases of rural insecurity, compared to regions suffering from insurgency and banditry.
He then spoke in favour of measuring impact and accountability, reiterating that there would be no positive result until those involved are held accountable.
“Where young people are engaged in farming, they are less likely to become involved in criminal activity.
We cannot industrialize Nigeria until we develop the agricultural sector, as well as our metal industries. The process of industrialization is being delayed because we have failed to lay the right foundation through a solid and self-sufficient agro-economic base.
Until we begin to measure impact and enforce accountability, agricultural reforms will remain televised propaganda without grassroots results,” he added.
