Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, has raised concerns about a United Nations warning on worsening food insecurity in northern Nigeria.
Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra, made the remarks in a post on his X account on Saturday. He highlighted that more than 17 million people across nine northern states face crisis-level hunger, with over 35 million Nigerians at risk during the current lean season. More than 10,000 residents of Borno are in what humanitarian agencies classify as catastrophic hunger conditions.
Obi described the situation as troubling, noting that northern Nigeria has traditionally been the country’s food-producing region. He attributed part of the problem to insecurity, including banditry and insurgency, which prevents many farmers from accessing their farmlands.
The former governor urged the federal and state governments to invest proactively in securing agricultural corridors, support smallholder farmers, and work with the United Nations World Food Programme to bridge funding gaps. He also called for improved security in farming communities and policies focused on expanding cultivated land and agro-industrial output.
