Fight for Hunger Gets Tougher With Subsidy Removal- UN

According to the United Nations, the fight against hunger in Nigeria especially in the Northern region has gotten harder. This is due to the removal of subsidies and increment in fuel prices.

The senior UN humanitarian representative in Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale said this in a statement on Wednesday in Geneva. He stated that the number of children under five in the Northern region who suffer from severe malnutrition has doubled to 700,000 in the past year in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.

In his words,

“I have been to Borno and the other two states several times. I’ve seen mothers fighting for the lives of their malnourished children in nutrition stabilization centers.

“Those of us who are parents must imagine what it’s like when you cannot ensure your children have enough to eat.”

He also stated that this hunger vice is mainly a consequence of over ten years of insecurity ravaging the nation. This has stopped people from tilling the ground and earning a living from it. weather conditions like flooding which has affected about 4 million people have also stopped people from farming which has made farming extremely difficult.

Sometimes in January, it was revealed that about 9 million people in the Northeast and Northwest regions were at risk of famine without the fuel subsidy removal in place at the time. Now, with the subsidy removal the number has risen subjecting more people to starvation and malnutrition.

To tackle hunger in the country, the World Food Program (WFP) revealed a plan called the Country Strategic Plan (CSP) which costs about $2.5 billion. This plan aims to fight hunger and malnutrition in some regions, especially the Northwest and Northeast.

The 5-year structure which runs from 2023-2027 has been put in place to work on achieving food security and enhancing nutrition in Nigeria by 2030 which aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It also accentuates the importance of good health and well-being, gender equality, and education.

Surging Fuel Prices: Impact of the Cost of Food Items

The announcement by the President to remove fuel subsidies is a policy change that has gotten the citizens of the country to react in different ways. There is agitation among the people because uncertainty lies ahead and being able to deal with the consequences of this development has been a source of worry to many since the announcement. The impact is currently being felt across every sector of the economy; food items being a key to survival seem to be greatly affected as hunger is being experienced everywhere.

Fuel increment as a consequence of the subsidy removal has an effect throughout the economy. The rising cost of fuel has escalated the prices of food, and fertilizers used in farming. With the new fuel rates, the cost of transporting food items has made food items scarce and the available ones are expensive. Prices of food items have been inflated because sellers are trying to maximize profit and not run at a loss.

According to reports, only 25 percent of the $1.3 billion needed for the hunger-ravaged regions has been received so far. This is an issue because the high rate of food items needed for these regions is significantly driving up hunger and malnutrition.