Months after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security in July 2023, prices of essential food items in Nigeria continue to skyrocket, putting them out of reach for many citizens, investigations reveal.
The emergency declaration, made through presidential spokesperson Dele Alake, was aimed at combating hunger and revamping Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The government promised to channel funds saved from fuel subsidy removal into boosting food production, and later announced import duty waivers on key staples such as maize, husked brown beans, wheat, and cowpea.
However, these policies have yet to take effect. A bag of maize or beans remains unaffordable for most Nigerians, raising questions about the implementation of the food security strategy.
A source within the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed the Treasury Single Account (TSA) for crippling the ministry’s ability to act. “Since the beginning of the year, we haven’t received a single kobo for interventions. We’re depending on foreign donors to do our work,” the source said. They urged the Federal Government to remove the ministry from the TSA framework to allow for more operational flexibility.
The TSA is a financial policy that centralizes all public funds in a single account to improve transparency and accountability. While some officials see it as restrictive, others defend its role in reducing waste.
President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, rejected calls to exempt the ministry from the TSA, calling such suggestions “nonsense.”
He emphasized that farmers are not handed cash by the government and don’t rely on contracts like infrastructure ministries do. “We’re not asking for handouts. What farmers need are affordable inputs, short supply chains, and security to access their farms,” Ibrahim said.
He added that the issue is more about affordability than availability of food. “Food is in the market, but people can’t afford it. That’s the real crisis.”
He called for direct support to farmers, not through intermediaries, and urged the government to focus on strengthening the naira’s purchasing power rather than over-relying on foreign exchange.
As the food crisis continues to bite, many Nigerians await action beyond declarations, hoping that the promised agricultural reforms will finally take root.
