Presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has criticised the federal government’s handling of food security, arguing that Nigeria’s hunger crisis has deepened despite President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on food security nearly three years ago.
In a statement shared on his X account, Obi questioned the impact of the administration’s agricultural policies, noting that while the government has highlighted several achievements in the sector, the country’s food security situation has continued to deteriorate.
Obi recalled that President Tinubu, while marking three years in office, cited the declaration of an emergency on food security in July 2023 and the acquisition of 2,000 tractors and 9,000 farming implements as key milestones of what was described as Nigeria’s largest agricultural mechanisation programme.
According to him, the results have fallen short of expectations.
“Yet the outcome of this has been the opposite. Nigeria’s hunger index has worsened significantly,” Obi said.
He stated that Nigeria’s position on the global hunger ranking had declined from 103rd out of 123 countries surveyed in 2022/2023 to 115th out of 123 countries in the 2025/2026 assessment.
“Consequently, Nigeria is now classified among the world’s most hungry or food-insecure nations in the world, with the World Bank forecasting that 33 million Nigerians could experience severe hunger,” he added.
The former Anambra State governor further claimed that Nigeria currently has the largest population of hungry people globally.
“In fact, Nigeria has the highest number of hungry people in the world,” he said.
Obi maintained that the country possesses the resources needed to reverse the trend, particularly through the cultivation of vast arable land in northern Nigeria.
“I have always maintained that Nigeria have no reason to be seen among the hungriest nations in the world when we have vast, uncultivated land in the north, which is our greatest asset today,” he stated.
He urged the government to prioritise agricultural investment as a pathway to food sufficiency and job creation.
“We must transparently invest in Agricultural production, which will guarantee food security, but create huge employment,” Obi said.
He concluded the statement with his familiar message: “A new Nigeria is POssible.”
