By Obiabin Onukwugha
Experts have called for adeliberate policy engagement and reforms that will promote sustainability and equitable access to food in Nigeria.
The experts emphasised that hunger is a systemic issue, often weaponised to entrench structures that do little to improve food systems, while maximising profits for a few enterprises.
They states this at a one-day Sustain-Ability Academy on Food, Power and the Politics of Hunger, hosted by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in collaboration with the Centre of Politics University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), on Thursday.
Speaking at the event, Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, submitted that hunger and food insecurity are often the result of deliberate decisions that affect food availability and access.
He noted that “food systems are increasingly influenced by profit-driven interests that prioritise economic gains for a few enterprises over equitable access to food.”
Bassey stressed that “food remains central to culture, identity, and social relations, cautioning against policies that undermine traditional agricultural practices such as seed sharing. He expressed concerns over the growing influence of fast food culture and genetically modified foods, citing their potential impact on public health, local food systems, and cultural heritage.”
He called for the decolonisation of food systems through the preservation of indigenous food varieties, protection of local farmers, and closer scrutiny of global market forces shaping food governance.
Director-General of the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, Amara Nwankpa, said hunger should be viewed as a systemic and political issue rather than a temporary or purely technological challenge.
Nwankpa attributed food insecurity in Nigeria largely to inefficiencies in infrastructure, market systems, and governance, rather than insufficient production, noting that “post-harvest losses account for between 30 and 40 per cent of food produced.”
He emphasised the need to shift decision-making power to local populations, promote food sovereignty, and address structural inequalities within the food system.
Also, Prof. Fidelis Allen of the Centre of Politics, University of Port Harcourt, highlighted that hunger has increasingly been weaponised within political and governance structures.
Allen noted that individuals experiencing hunger are often vulnerable to manipulation, particularly in contexts shaped by poor policy decisions and governance failures.
He warned against the normalisation of hunger, describing it as a dangerous societal trend rooted in negative power relations and political choices.
