Russia/Ukraine War: ‘Nigeria Must Bridge Gap to Avoid Food Crisis’

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi 

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) known as OXFAM Nigeria, has decried the  war between Russia and Ukraine, saying that if something is not done to abate the situation, it might cause a devastating food crisis.

The organisation stated that governments must support the development of sustainable, resilient and local food systems, based on small-scale production and family farming that would form the very foundation of people’s food security as the current crisis underscores the urgency and importance of this.

This is contained in a press release by the Oxfam International Country Director in Nigeria, Dr. Vincent Ahonsi, and signed by Ms. Rita Abiodun, which was made available to newsmen yesterday.

The statement said that in the short-term, donor governments must bridge the gap between what people can pay and higher prices, and deliver much-needed aid to people facing severe hunger who will be even more impacted by the rise in food prices.

Ahonsi said: “Nigeria needs a food system that works for everybody. This means a food system that can stand against shocks such as the climate crisis and rapid food inflation on international food markets, and does not contribute to environmental destruction.

“Nigeria government needs to provide the public funding necessary to create fair, gender-just, and sustainable food systems, particularly focusing on agroecological production which is inherently less dependent on imports of feed and agricultural inputs, and more resilient to climate change impacts.

 “There is an urgent need for the government to implement universal and adequate social protection measures to support the people, ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable people have social protection.

“Action should include unconditional cash or food transfer schemes, which is widely rather than narrowly targeted, regular and predictable, and automatically triggered by price rises.” 

The release stated that the crisis in Ukraine has caused food prices to skyrocket globally in the last few weeks with some forecasts estimating up to a 20 per cent increase. This is adding pressure to the already devastating hunger crises across the world and causing fears of food shortages.

“This is because Ukraine and Russia are important players in the global food export market. Russia is the top wheat exporter with a share of almost 16 percent of the global market while Ukraine is the third-largest exporter of wheat at almost 10 percent of the global market.

“Importantly, for a number of countries with high levels of hunger, Ukraine and Russia have an outsized impact, as they import a significant share of their wheat from Ukraine or Russia.

“The most important problem, however, is affordable access to food, not its availability as many people in low-income countries (including Nigeria) cannot afford the prices of goods like bread which, in many countries, is made from imported wheat.

“The reason according to Oxfam is that supply chain disruptions and climate-driven disasters, like drought, coupled with conflict, have driven prices up when wages have been unable to keep pace.”

It noted that before Ukraine crisis, the United Nations has estimated that food prices in Sub-Saharan Africa was 30-40 per cent higher than the rest of the world (taking into account comparative levels of GDP per capita).

Also, one in five people (282 million) were under-nourished, and 93 million in 36 African countries were suffering extreme levels of hunger (women and children being hardest hit).

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, one in three children under the age of five is stunted by chronic undernutrition; and two out of five women of childbearing age are anemic because of poor diets. In West Africa, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance could rise to 35.7 million during the lean season from June to August 2022,” the statement concluded.