Nigeria’s constant food-related stampedes are an indication that a lot of the nation’s citizens are facing hunger.
Africa’s most populous nation has witnessed a series of food- related stampedes in recent times, with Ibadan, Anambra and Abuja being the latest, claiming the lives of at least 50 people.
The stampedes emanate from struggles to get food, cash and clothing from organisers of charity and Christmas funfair as Nigeria grapples with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
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Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 34.6 percent in November 2024, up from 33.88 percent in October, driven by high food costs, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) this month.
Food inflation surged to 39.93 percent in November 2024, a sharp increase from 32.84 percent in November 2023.
A 50kg of local parboiled rice has risen by 66 percent to an average of N100, 000 in December 2024 from N60,000 in December 2023, according to BusinessDay’s market survey. Prices of other food items such as beans, onions and crayfish have jumped by over 100 percent in a year.
Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, executive director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), described the incidents as heartbreaking reflections of the severe hardship faced by Nigerians.
“This is a clear indication that Nigerians are facing very difficult times under this administration,” he said. “Unfortunately, the government appears detached from the realities on the ground and has failed to take the necessary steps to address a situation they helped to escalate.
“While these tragic incidents have been reported, many more may be occurring unnoticed as people are desperately hungry,” the human rights activist said.
The trends underscore the hunger crisis in a nation where over 26 million of the population are facing acute hunger, with the United Nations projecting the number reaching 33 million next year.
A struggling economy, surging inflation, and declining purchasing power have thrown 129 million people beneath the poverty line this year, according to the World Bank.
Christmas is a period of Christian celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth, but it is also when individuals or organisations gift people food, especially rice, as a way of putting smiles on people’s faces. But the worst cost-of-living crisis is pushing young and old out of their homes now to be sent to their early graves.
Read also: Hunger: Deliberate policy choices drive starvation in Nigeria; it’s outrageous!
Incomes have been eroded. Food insecurity is mounting. Poverty is on the rise all due to some bold reforms by President Bola Tinubu, which were necessary to rescue the country from collapsing.
“Food stampedes would not have happened if people had hope and certainty of where their next meals come from,” Nasir Aminu, a senior lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK, said on X Saturday.
Dubbed ‘Tinubunomics,’ Tinubu’s reforms – removal of petrol subsidy and loosening currency controls – have left many Nigerians so poor that they struggle to eat three meals a day.
Almost two-thirds of households report they are unable to eat “healthy, nutritious or preferred foods” in the past month, according to a report by the Abuja-based NBS — up almost 80 percent compared with five years ago.
Africa’s biggest oil producer is battling with rising inflationary pressures that have seen prices reach a record 28-year high, hitting 34.6 percent in November but the Nigerian leader projects the consumer price index falling to as low as 15 percent next year.
Food inflation of almost 40 percent reflects how high prices of items, especially food, push ordinary Nigerians to the streets, forcing them to scavenge for funfair and charity events.
“These incidents are avoidable but highlight the depth of hunger and deprivation in our society,” Rafsanjani, who is also the head of Transparency International-Nigeria, noted.
“The government must urgently adopt measures to address food insecurity, create jobs, and alleviate the suffering of the people.”
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has raised serious concerns over the escalating floods in Nigeria, which are worsening the nation’s food security crisis.
These floods, affecting 29 states, have displaced around 200,000 people, impacted over 2.5 million, and caused significant destruction to farmlands.
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With nearly 31.8 million Nigerians already at risk of acute food insecurity, the loss of agricultural land is expected to deepen poverty and hunger in vulnerable communities.
“Tackling food insecurity in Nigeria will necessitate the use of climate-resilient practices, enhanced infrastructure, financial support, and technological advancements,” analysts at Lagos-based FBNQuest Capital Research said in a note last Friday.
“However, the most crucial elements will be policy reforms and collaborations between the public and private sectors within agriculture,” they added.
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