The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) figures released late last year revealed that Somalia remains on the brink of famine, as 5.6 million people are in crisis or worse level of food insecurity.
 
The report projected that the figure is expected to rise to 6.4 million by March and 8.3 million by June, emphasising that the number of people in catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC Phase 5) is expected to double to 727,000.

Though the report focused mainly on the predicament of the east Africa country, but the startling evidence shows that almost all the countries in the continent, including Nigeria, are currently grappling with the issue of food security.
   
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the country’s inflation rate jumped to a 17-year high of 21.09 per cent in October 2022, representing 0.32 per cent increase from 20.77 per cent recorded in September.

Sadly, the situation degenerated last December ahead of the festive period, when prices of basic food items increased at a double-digit percentage.

The Guardian learnt that many households couldn’t perform the yearly yuletide ‘rituals’ due to high cost of food commodities, as many were distraught by the weak household incomes and import pass-through costs. 
 
But despite the reality on ground, the Federal Government claimed the country is food secured. Late last year, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammad Abubakar, said the country has enough food to feed all Nigerians. “We have enough food to take care of Nigerians. We are producing food across the country and we will continue to do so to feed Nigerians in line with our mandate