General
Nigeria’s Acute Food Insecurity May Worsen from June— FAO, WFP
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that Nigeria remains among the highest-level countries facing acute food insecurity, which is likely to deteriorate further during the outlook period from June to November 2023.
For the outlook period, FAO and WFP issued an early warning for urgent humanitarian action in 18 hunger hotspots, including two regional clusters comprising a total of 22 countries.
According to the report, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen remain at the highest alert level. Haiti, the Sahel (Burkina Faso and Mali) and Sudan have been elevated to the highest concern levels; this is due to severe movement restrictions for people and goods in Burkina Faso, Haiti and Mali and the recent outbreak of conflict in Sudan.
All hotspots at the highest level have communities facing or projected to face starvation or are at risk of sliding towards catastrophic conditions, given they already have emergency levels of food insecurity and are facing severe aggravating factors. These hotspots require the most urgent attention, the report warns.
The Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Pakistan and Syria are hotspots with very high concern, and the alert is also extended to Myanmar in this edition.
All the above hotspots have a large number of people facing critical acute food insecurity, coupled with worsening drivers that are expected to further intensify life‑threatening conditions in the coming months. Lebanon has been added to the list of hotspots, joining Malawi and Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) that remain hotspots.
In the hunger hotspots, parts of the population will likely face a significant deterioration of already high levels of acute food insecurity, putting lives and livelihoods at risk. Targeted humanitarian action is urgently needed to save lives and livelihoods in all 18 hunger hotspots.
In eight of these – Afghanistan, Haiti, Nigeria, the Sahel region (Burkina Faso and Mali), Somalia, South Sudan, the Sudan and Yemen – humanitarian action is critical to prevent starvation and death.
Speaking on this, Mr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General, said, “Business-as-usual pathways are no longer an option in today’s risk landscape if we want to achieve global food security for all, ensuring that no one is left behind.”
“We need to provide immediate time-sensitive agricultural interventions to pull people from the brink of hunger, help them rebuild their lives, and provide long-term solutions to address the root causes of food insecurity. Investing in disaster risk reduction in the agriculture sector can unlock significant resilience dividends and must be scaled up,” he added.
“Not only are more people in more places around the world going hungry, but the severity of the hunger they face is worse than ever,” said Ms Cindy McCain, WFP’s Executive Director.
“This report makes it clear: we must act now to save lives, help people adapt to a changing climate, and ultimately prevent famine. If we don’t, the results will be catastrophic,” she warned.
The report warns of a major risk of El Niño conditions, which meteorologists forecast to emerge by mid-2023 with an 82 per cent probability. The expected shift in climate patterns will have significant implications for several hotspots, including below-average rains in the Dry Corridor of Central America, and raises the spectre of consecutive extreme climatic events hitting areas of the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has declared Friday, April 3, and Monday, April 6, 2026, as public holidays to mark this year’s Easter celebration.
April 3 is Good Friday, while April 6 is Easter Monday.
The Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in a statement on Wednesday, congratulated Christians in Nigeria and the diaspora on the occasion.
Mr Tunji-Ojo urged Nigerians to reflect on the virtues associated with the season, saying, “I congratulate all Christians in Nigeria and in the diaspora on the joyous occasion of Easter. I urge Nigerians to imbibe the virtues of selflessness, forgiveness, forbearance and love as exemplified by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.”
He further called for unity among citizens, stressing the importance of peaceful coexistence.
“Easter is a period that reminds us of the values of tolerance and community that keep us together as a nation. Nigerians should remain committed to these ideals for the progress of our country,” the minister said.
Mr Tunji-Ojo also reiterated the federal government’s commitment to policies aimed at national development.
“The goal of the government remains taking decisions that would bring about national rebirth, economic growth, and shared prosperity for all Nigerians,” he added.
The minister wished Christians a peaceful and joyous Easter celebration.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, has denied rumours of his resignation circulating on social media following the expiration of a March 31 deadline.
According to reports by Channels Television, Mr Adelabu noted that the letter in circulation was fake as he had written such a letter.
However, he affirmed his interest in running for the Oyo State governorship race in 2027, adding that he would act at the appropriate time.
Mr Adelabu, reacting to the need for clarity about the said letter and his ambition on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said, “Of course, yes, I am very much in the race.
“But I will act at the appropriate time, and you will be duly informed, but will be with the consent of Mr President.
“For now, I’m committed to my present assignment. It’s still about service, whether national or sub-national,” he told the broadcaster.
President Bola Tinubu had directed all political appointees in his administration who intend to contest elective positions in the 2027 elections to resign from their posts on or before March 31.
He hinged his decision on Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 and the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for party primaries ahead of the 2027 polls.
Only three of President Tinubu’s cabinet members stepped away from office to pursue their ambition. First among these was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Yusuf Tuggar, he prepares to seek the APC ticket to be the next governor of Bauchi State.
Mr Tuggar, who confirmed his resignation later on Monday, said his resignation letter was formally submitted to the president earlier that day through the Office of the Secretary of Government in Abuja.
Also, the Minister of Transportation, Said Ahmed Alkali, resigned to pursue his ambition of contesting the 2027 governorship election in Gombe State.
“The President has accepted the resignation and thanked the minister for his dedicated service to the nation,” his media aide said in the statement on Tuesday.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Mr Yusuf Sununu, also resigned to contest a senatorial seat in Kebbi State.
Mr Sununu, who assumed office in the humanitarian ministry in November 2024 after serving as Minister of State for Education, said his deployment was aimed at restoring the ministry’s image before deciding to pursue legislative office.
Also, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Mr Nasiru Gawuna, resigned from his position and defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has called for enhanced stakeholder coordination to rapidly expand electricity meter installations and narrow Nigeria’s persistent metering gap.
This push emerged from the NESI Metering Stakeholders’ Meeting held in Lagos on March 27, 2026, where regulators, industry players, and international partners converged to tackle rollout bottlenecks.
According to a post on NERC’s X handle, key attendees included representatives from the World Bank, Meristem, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), NEMSA, Distribution Companies (DisCos), and Meter Asset Providers (MAPs).
NERC highlighted a strategic pivot from merely financing metering initiatives to fostering seamless collaboration.
With four separate metering programmes currently underway, the commission stressed the urgency of aligning efforts to avoid duplication and accelerate deployment.
“Greater synergy among DisCos, meter providers, and other stakeholders is essential to ramp up installations,” a NERC spokesperson noted. This coordinated approach aims to deliver accurate billing, eradicate estimated charges that frustrate consumers, and boost overall market efficiency.
The meeting also underscored the need for a unified communication strategy to heighten public awareness and encourage consumer uptake, as part of NERC’s broader drive for transparency in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Nigeria currently operates four parallel metering programmes aimed at closing the country’s metering gap and improving efficiency across the power sector. These include the World Bank–funded Nigeria Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), which targets about 3.2 million end-user meters, and the Federation-funded initiative designed to deliver roughly 3.8 million meters alongside about 130,000 distribution transformer (DT) meters.
Also in operation are the DisCo-funded Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF), which provides around 125,000 meters to fill coverage gaps, and the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), a technology-driven framework focused on smart metering, improved billing accuracy, and enhanced grid management. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is now working to harmonise these initiatives to prevent duplication and accelerate metering deployment nationwide.
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