The Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG has blamed inflation, insecurity, and climate change for food insecurity and hunger among an estimated 26.5 million Nigerians in 2024.
The CEO of NESG, Dr Tayo Aduloju, made this known on Friday at a press briefing on the Policy Innovation Centre, PIC.
Aduloju stressed that rising food prices which rose to 40.66 percent in May 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics are among the most significant contributing factors to multidimensional poverty among Nigerians.
“In 2024, around 26.5 million Nigerians are projected to be food insecure, with about 4.8 million at risk in the conflict-affected northeast.
“Conflict, climate change, inflation, and increasing food prices are among the pathways contributing to the rise in high food insecurity and malnutrition rates.”
This comes as the Food and Agriculture Organization, an arm of the United Nations recently warned that by 2030 about 80 to 82 million Nigerians may slip into severe hunger in the country amid food insecurity.
Food crisis: 82 million Nigerians may slip into severe hunger – UN warns FG
NBS report showed that the misery index among Nigerians worsened as staple food prices surged above 130 percent in May.
The report showed that staple foods, rice, beans, garlic, yams and others rose by at least 130 percent.
Rice, garri, beans, other foods prices in Nigeria surge by over 130%
NESG explains reason for rising hunger among Nigerians
