Nigerians Turn Beggars As Biting Hunger Ravages Communities - Punch

My children are suffering.

“There is no money in my pocket. Does this government want to kill us? Overthinking wants to kill me. I can no longer survive. It is too much for me to bear. The government should come to my aid.”

Kicking off a crowdfunding initiative, Afrobeat singer, Oxlade, as well as many other Nigerians pooled money together for her to the tune of over N3m.

In his response to the protesters, Tinubu called for a suspension of the protest and promised to tackle the economic hardship in the country.

“I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens.

“Let nobody misinform and mis-educate you about your country or tell you that your government does not care about you,” the President said in a nationwide broadcast.

Economists weigh in

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, an economist, Oluwaseun Wusu, decried the high costs of foodstuffs which he said had pushed many households into poverty.

“Rising food prices for staples like rice, maize, and wheat have driven many households into poverty and in a country where you have many people living below a dollar each day, it has forced many families to now eat fewer meals.

“This is why food palliatives would always be sought by the populace. Where you have high energy costs, increased transport fares and insecurity hampering the agricultural sector, it is expected that food prices will also spike. It will push people into hunger and make people vulnerable,” Wusu said.

He added that the government needed to invest in the agricultural sector and implement sustainable farming practices to enhance food production and security.

On her part, an agricultural economist from the Centre for Agricultural Development and Sustainable Environment at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Tobi Awolope, attributed the high hunger rate in Nigeria to climate change.

Awolope noted that many farmers had a low adaptive capacity to cope with the effects of climate change, such as irregular rainfall patterns and lack of irrigation.

“Climate change has reversed the progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2, which aim to eradicate poverty and hunger.

Smallholder farmers are struggling to adapt to the changing climate, and this has led to declining food availability and rising prices,” she said.

She emphasised the need for government support for farmers, including subsidising production inputs, and providing technology and irrigation assistance.

“Farmers cannot mitigate the effects of climate change alone. The government needs to step in and support them to ensure food security,” she added.

Awolope also stressed the importance of utilising research recommendations to inform policy decisions, saying, “This is not the time to leave research output on the shelf. We need to use those recommendations to make informed decisions that will support our farmers and ensure food availability.”