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FCT, Lagos, 25 others to face food crisis – Report
By Francesca Hangeior
A report, Cadre Harmonisé (CH) has revealed that approximately 33.1 million people, including 514,474 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and states are projected to experience a food crisis or worse (CH Phase 3) between June and August 2025.
The states identified as being affected include Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, and Benue.
The report also highlighted that Cross River, Enugu, Edo, Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Ogun, and Rivers will be affected.
The CH report, a food and nutrition security analysis produced by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security with technical support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other partners, released also noted that about 25 million people, including 422,686 IDPs, are currently in a state of food crisis or worse from October to December 2024.
Regional Breakdown of crisis levels projected that an estimated 1.3 million people are expected to face a food crisis in Adamawa, two million in Borno while approximately 1.6 million people are projected to face critical food shortages mid-2025.
The CH report also highlighted severe malnutrition levels in Northeast and Northwest regions, estimating that nearly 5.44 million children aged 0-59 months are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition from May 2024 to April 2025.
This figure includes 1.8 million cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and 3.7 million cases of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). Additionally, about 787,000 pregnant and lactating women are expected to need urgent nutrition support.
From May to September 2024, it revealed that more than half of the 133 Local Government Areas (LGAs) analysed were classified as IPC Acute Malnutrition (AMN) Phase 3 or higher. Northeast Nigeria had 10 LGAs in IPC AMN Phase 4 (Critical) and 21 in Phase 3 (Serious), while in Northwest 24 local government areas were classified as critical and 29 as serious.
The report however attributed the malnutrition crisis to factors such as insufficient food quantity and quality, inadequate feeding practices, poor health services, high disease prevalence, and low health-seeking behavior.
It further noted that economic challenges, compounded by food insecurity, limited water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, and security issues from ongoing conflict and displacement, are exacerbating the crisis.
Key drivers of food and nutrition insecurity, it said, are high cost of food and non-food items, climate shocks, and rising fuel prices which are currently affecting household food consumption and livelihoods.
FAO Nigeria and ECOWAS representative, Tofiq Braimah, stressed that Nigeria is facing “unprecedented times affecting livelihoods and food and nutrition security of vulnerable populations.”
He noted that the CH workshops aim to assess food security data to identify at-risk populations and propose measures to prevent food crises or further escalation.
In his remarks, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Fod Security, Temitope Fashedemi noted that with the spike in fuel prices, transportation costs have soared, squeezing farmers profit margins and potentially driving up food prices for consumers.
Fashedemi also noted that these challenges and the daunting insecurity situation which has continued to threaten Nigeria’s food and nutrition security, have led to disruptions in food system (food production, distribution, marketing and even stocking mechanisms), resulting in poor consumption patterns among several households especially, in areas affected by insecurity.
He however pledged government assurance and commitment to upholding and utilising the outcome and recommendations proffered from the workshop in implementing food and nutrition security interventions.
“We also recommend that these results be adopted for planning and implementation of food and nutrition security interventions across the federal MDAs, 26 CH states, the humanitarian community and among allpartners operating in Nigeria.
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No going back on forex, subsidy reforms – Finance minister
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, says there is no going back on the current administration’s reforms in the forex and oil and gas sectors.
Edun made this known when he received the newly assigned Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka Anitez at the Ministry’s headquarters, on Monday.
“Nigeria now have a foreign exchange rate that is market based and also a deregulated oil market pricing which are two reforms that are long overdue over many decades that President Tinubu is currently implementing.
“Therefore as co-ordinating minister of economy, we stand on a threshold of a new dawn to implement these reforms and increase productivity, create jobs and reducing poverty and we are glad to have a minister of state that will help in actualizing the President’s reforms,” he said.
According to him, consultation and collaboration is key to achieving these key reforms both from public and private sector, stressing that ongoing economic policies are showing sustainability and sign of success.
The Minister of State for Finance, in her response, restated her commitment to work with stakeholders in both private and public sectors to ensure economic growth is materialized.
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Rivers: Fubara fond of disobeying judgements, – Amaewhule-led Assembly
The Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly in Rivers State said Governor Siminialayi Fubara has a penchant to disobey courts’ judgements and constitutional provisions.
This is as the lawmakers also vowed to make Fubara’s appointees and permanent secretaries aiding him to circumvent the law have their date with the law.
They stated this during their 65th sitting on Monday in the legislative quarters.
In a statement by Martin’s Wachukwu, Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, said the lawmakers reviewed the governor’s actions while deliberating on the recent judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.
The state legistators comnended the verdict of Justice J.O. Abdulmalik barring government from withdrawing from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State, until the 2024 Appropriation Bill is presented before a properly constituted Assembly describing it as a sound and well considered ruling.
The statement also pointed out that the Assembly on 15th July, 2024 deliberated and resolved on the continuous refusal of Fubara to present the 2024 Rivers State Appropriation Bill to the House.
The lawmakers then took the decision to write to the governor to shut down on expenditure pursuant to Section 122 of the 1999 Constitution.
Enabled by its resolution, the House and Amaewhule filed an action before the Federal High Court to determine whether Fubara could expend or continue to expend from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State without a valid 2024 Appropriation Law by the State House of Assembly.
The lawmakers prayed the court to invoke the consequences of such constitutional breach by ordering the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Accountant- General of the Federation, some Money Deposit Banks among other defendants to stop the release of moneys or permit the withdrawal of Rivers State funds until Fubara complied with the Constitution which he swore to uphold; and the court decided in favour of the House and the Speaker.
Commenting on the judgement, Amaewhule said, “Since 1st of July, 2024, Governor Fubara has been spending moneys of the State without approval hence the declaration of the shutdown of expenditure.
“Yet, the Governor in his characteristic manner of disobeying judgements of Courts, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and extant laws has continued to circumvent the Law with the aid of Permanent Secretaries, and some individuals who parade themselves as Commissioners. They will certainly have a date with the Law”.
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NAF Airstrikes neutralize ISWAP commander, dozens of others
The Nigerian Airforce says its airstrike has neutralized 50 terrorists, including a high-ranking ISWAP commander known as Bashir Dauda, during an operation in Marte Local Government
Air Commodore Olusola F Akinboyewa, Director, Public Relations and Information, Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force, in a statement on Monday night said the precision strikes focused on known ISWAP strongholds in the villages of Tumbun Daribiyar, Jubularam, Buluwa, and Tumbu Karfe, marking a major effort in the ongoing fight against terrorism in Nigeria’s Northeast.
It said an on-ground assessment confirmed that “approximately 50 terrorists, including a high-ranking ISWAP commander known as Bashir Dauda, were neutralized in the operation.”
” Additionally, an ISWAP supply depot in the Jubularam enclave, filled with a substantial cache of food and essential items like beans, millet, and rice, was destroyed, effectively severing a critical resource line for the terrorists.
“These successful air strikes, targeting personnel and logistics, underscore NAF’s ongoing commitment to supporting ground forces and enhancing joint efforts to decimate terrorist strongholds in the region,” he said.
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