If the administration of President Bola Tinubu is serious about solving food insecurity in Nigeria, it should urgently review its policies on agriculture. This is the advice of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), one of the major opposition parties. A statement by Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, publicity secretary of the party, which was released on Monday in Abuja, called for policies that protect local producers, safeguard farmers’ lives and promote food sovereignty.
Steps in this direction, as he said, would go a long way to ensure lasting food price stability and sustainable national food security.
As far as Abdullahi is concerned the ongoing drop in food prices is artificial and contrary to the reality on the ground, as expressed by struggling farmers and families nationwide.
The statement reads in part, “The reported drop in prices of some food items is artificial, driven by import waivers flooding markets with cheap foreign food, undermining Nigeria’s local agricultural resilience.
“It is not evidence of effective policy or increased production; instead, it offers short-lived relief at the long-term expense of hardworking local Nigerian farmers.
“This situation severely harms local producers who cannot compete due to high input costs, particularly fertilisers and worsening insecurity.
“We also find it disturbing for the government to claim its policies boost production while countless farmers remain displaced daily by persistent bandit attacks.
“Those still farming are struggling to afford planting costs, forcing many to abandon cultivation altogether.”
Abdullahi said production cannot increase when the rural economy faces violent attacks, inflation and high planting costs that discourage meaningful agricultural participation.
The ADC chieftain said that the present drop in prices is unsustainable and driven by panic rather than coherent policy, strategy, or deliberate long-term planning.
The party, therefore, urged the federal government to prioritise rural security, strengthen local agricultural capacity and pursue long-term food sovereignty beyond political expediency.
