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25 million Nigerians Risk Hunger This Year—UN 

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25 million Nigerians

By Adedapo Adesanya

A new projection sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that nearly 25 million Nigerians are at risk of facing hunger between June and August 2023 (lean season) if urgent action is not taken.

According to the October 2022 Cadre Harmonisé, a government-led and UN-supported food and nutrition analysis carried out twice a year, this is a projected increase from the estimated 17 million people currently at risk of food insecurity.

The report noted that continued conflict, climate change, inflation and rising food prices are key drivers of this alarming trend.

Also, food access has been affected by persistent violence in the north-east states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) and armed banditry and kidnapping in states such as Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue and Niger.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), widespread flooding in the 2022 rainy season damaged more than 676,000 hectares of farmlands, which diminished harvests and increased the risk of food insecurity for families across the country. Flooding is one of the effects of climate change and variability impacting Nigeria. More extreme weather patterns affecting food security are anticipated in the future.

Of the 17 million people who are currently food insecure, 3 million are in the northeast BAY states. Without immediate action, this figure is expected to increase to 4.4 million in the lean season. This includes highly vulnerable displaced populations and returnees who are already struggling to survive a large-scale humanitarian crisis in which 8.3 million people need assistance.

Speaking on this, Mr Matthias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, said the food security and nutrition situation across Nigeria is deeply concerning.

“I have visited nutrition stabilization centres filled with children who are fighting to stay alive. We must act now to ensure they and others get the lifesaving support they need,” he stated.

It was revealed that children are the most vulnerable to food insecurity. Approximately 6 of the 17 million food-insecure Nigerians today are children under five living in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara states.

“There is a serious risk of mortality among children attributed to acute malnutrition. In the BAY states alone, the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition is expected to increase from 1.74 million in 2022 to 2 million in 2023,” it said.

UNICEF, working with the government and partners such as MSF and ALIMA, is investing in scaling up preventive nutrition interventions while ensuring that vulnerable children have access to life-saving nutrition services. In 2022, UNICEF, with partners, was able to reach approximately 650,000 children with life-saving nutrition services across the six states mentioned above.

The northwest region, around Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states, is an increasing food insecurity and malnutrition hotspot. An estimated 2.9 million people are currently critically food insecure (Cadre Harmonisé Phase 3 or worse.) This figure is projected to increase to 4.3 million in the lean season if urgent action is not taken.

Through the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), it has been supporting the government in restoring livelihoods in the northeast and northwest regions. This includes livestock production, crop production, homestead micro gardening, value chain development and aquaculture.

However, the UN called on the Nigerian government, the donor community, and public and private stakeholders to urgently commit resources and implement mitigation measures to save lives and prevent a potentially catastrophic food security and nutrition situation.

“Support for vulnerable families across the country is needed today, not tomorrow,” it advocated.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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CNPP Begs Wike for Certificates of Occupancy Payment Deadline Extension

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FCT Minister Wike

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has been urged to extend the deadline for the payment of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) by property owners in Abuja.

This plea for an extension was asked by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) through a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr James Ezema.

The group said the initial two-week grace period given to the affected allottees, which expired on Friday, January 3, 2025, was insufficient, considering the current economic challenges facing the country.

Recall that after public outcries, Mr Wike, who is the immediate past governor of Rivers State, granted an extension to the owners of the 762 revoked plots of land in Maitama, Abuja.

“We are appealing to the Minister and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to tamper justice with mercy and issue an extension in the spirit of the yuletide and in view of the economic challenges in the country,” the association stated.

It stressed that the extension would give the affected individuals and groups ample time to comply with the directive, thereby avoiding any undue hardship or loss.

“We pray that the Minister and the FCTA will grant the allottees an extension to comply with the directive, giving all the affected individuals and groups enough time to have themselves to blame at the end of the final extension,” the statement added.

The CNPP’s appeal comes on the heels of its recent expression of concern over the escalating hunger and suffering faced by millions of Nigerians due to the economic realities in the country.

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All Farmers Association of Nigeria Dissociates Self From Ado Kano

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North-East Farmers

By Adedapo Adesanya

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has dissociated itself from an unofficial viral statement by one of it members, regarding posters indicating activities of the organisation.

The group dissociated itself from the member in a statement signed by its National President and the National Secretary, Mr Kabiru Ibrahim, and Mr Yunusa Halidu, respectively.

“This post is made by an authorized member, Ado A Ado Kano.

“The opinions and views expressed here are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the group, its administrators, or other members.

“For official statements, please refer to AFAN official contact or platform,” parts of the statement made available to Business Post stated.

According to AFAN, the unofficial posters flying around doesn’t represent the association, noting that Mr Kano is not authorized by AFAN or its officials but those of the author.

AFAN is the umbrella organisation for all farmers’ commodity associations in Nigeria.

Its vision and mission are to assemble all Nigerian producers into one organization, providing a single interlocutor for the government to address agricultural issues with the farming community.

AFAN was formed by the merger of the All-Farmers Association of Nigeria (ALFA) and the National Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (NAFAN).  The merger was recommended by former Nigerian president, Mr Olusegun Obasanjo.

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BUA Debunks Claims of 90% Completion of Refinery in Akwa Ibom

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BUA Pasta Processing Plant

By Adedapo Adesanya

BUA Group has denied widespread reports that its ongoing construction of a 200,000 barrels per day capacity refinery located in Akwa Ibom State is 90 per cent completed.

In a statement signed on Sunday, the group with subsidiaries in food, cement, and energy sectors said that the claims that the structure was at end stage did not come from it.

“Contrary to a misleading report stating that our 200,000 barrels/day refinery is at 90% completion, BUA wishes to advise the public to disregard such misleading reports that did not emanate from us,” a part of the statement read.

It clarified that the project was progressing well and added that it was going to meet the project timeline of 2025.

“As we make remarkable strides on our Akwa Ibom refinery project, we are proud to share that construction is progressing steadily.

“Whilst the refinery is not at 90% completion, we are however on track to meet our delivery timelines in collaboration with our partners.

“This BUA Refinery & Petrochemicals project represents a major milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s refining capacity and energy security,” the group said.

BUA is also carrying out other energy projects, including the construction of a mini-LNG plant and several new hybrid power plants across the country, which it said are also progressing rapidly.

The group says this will add additional capacity to our over 1,000MW installed captive power generation capacity.

“The public is advised to verify any news through our official channels and platforms so as not to be misled by mischievous persons,” the statement said.

“At BUA, we remain committed to transparency and excellence. As we have consistently done with over 12 of our completed mega industrial projects worth over $ 3.5 billion in the past 10 years, we will continue to keep you updated with verifiable and accurate information only where necessary, and as milestones are achieved.

“We appreciate the public’s interest and enthusiasm for this transformative project as we work together in building a stronger industrial and manufacturing base for a self-reliant Nigeria,” it added.

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