The Federal Government has  raised the alarm that the nation is at risk of food insecurity as it is susceptible to adverse effects of Climate Change such as erratic rainfall, draught and flooding.


The Government, also noted that this may have a trickling effect on security as food security is the first step to national security, anywhere in the globe.


Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest  Umakhihe said this on Wednesday in Abuja, at the Pre-Food Systems Stock-Taking Moment Media Engagement, organized by Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in Collaboration with United Nations Information Centre (UNIC).


Umakhihe who was represented by the Director, Nutrition and Food Security in the Ministry, Mrs. Sugrat Mahmood, said: “Nigeria is susceptible to adverse effects of Climate Change such as erratic rainfall, draught and flooding.”


According to the Permanent Secretary, "One of the major challenges to food security in Nigeria is Climate Change. It has precipitated a lot of conflicts between farmers and herders. The conflict is been driven by struggle for resources. Nigeria is susceptible to adverse effects of climate change such as erratic rainfall, draught and flood. In the past couple of years, we have seen escalation in extreme whether event, particularly flooding, which has strangulated small holder farmers' investment. This climate variation cause significant threat to crops and livestock production, leading to reduced yields and economic loses'. 


On the declaration of state of emergency on food security by the government, Umakhihe said: "We look at the prospect that the declaration of emergency has thrown into the fray for us, and it is very important. It underscores government commitment to address the critical issue of food security. It is a pledge to collaborate with all stakeholders, and the government need everybody on board, including farmers, agri-businesses, research institutions, NGO, and private sector players". 


He said that the government need to unlock the investment potential in the private sector, because they will make it happen and they will sustain it. 


He added that: “To develop a holistic and impactful solution, we need everybody to be on board.”


The Permanent Secretary, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Nebeolisa Anako, said the media engagement is to update and inform the general public and all stakeholders on the upcoming United Nations Food System Summit which is Stock Taking Moment on implementation of the Food Systems Transformation Pathways in Nigeria.


He explained that food systems entail a complex network that includes all the inputs and outputs used in food production, processing and consumption, adding that from, "this systematic thinking, we can see the array of actors involved from the researcher or seller of the grains/seeds or seedlings, to storage, to the farmer, the soil, water for planting, harvester, to the processor, processing technique, equipment used, down to the storage, transportation, marketing, cooking method and serving".


He recalled that in 2020, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres called on countries to come up with modalities to improve their food systems. 


The UN Scribe, he said, called on nations to make their food systems to be more resilient, responsive and sustainable in a quest to achieving the SDGs. 


He added that it was in light of the foregoing that the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning coordinate in line with its mandate to organize stakeholders in the food value chain to address the challenges of the food systems.


He also stated that  all the efforts are aimed at ensuring equity, inclusivity, livelihood opportunities, youth and gender mainstreaming and with the spirit of leaving no one behind.


The Country Programme Analyst, West and Central Africa Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Mr. Adebayo Ogunniyi, said, the challenges that lies ahead of the world in food security, are immense, and complex.


He however noted that global food systems are under tremendous strain, grabbling with issue such as climate change, resource scarcity, food insecurity and unequal access to nutrition.


According to him, "Nigeria has multiple shocks that have direct links to the food systems, some of them involves the 2019 COVID pandemic and the Russian Ukraine war, as well as flooding that affected small holder farmers".


The Country Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Dr. Michael Ojo, said, Nigeria is amongst the few countries that has taken concrete steps to transform the promises and intentions that were made in 2021, when the country share its national food system transformation pathways with the rest of the world at the UN food system summit in 2021. 


He disclosed that next week, the world would be in Rome to take stock of what had happened since 2021, stressing that Nigeria will be in a position to reflect on her progress. 


He said, "I guess the only problem is that the pace of progress is not keeping up with the scale of challenges. This is where the declaration of state of emergency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be welcomed".