Presidency Inaugurates Food Systems Coordination Unit to Address Food Security Crisis

The Nigerian Presidency has launched the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU), tasked with addressing the nation’s food security crisis and the rising cost of food items. The unit, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, includes state governors, representatives of local governments, development partners, and other key stakeholders.

In a statement on Friday, Vice President Shettima emphasized the urgency of the food security crisis, stating, “The nation is facing a rare food security crisis and the sooner we come to terms with the reality, the better. Food insecurity endangers the very basis of our democratic experiment, and this is why all hands have to be on deck. We are in a food security crisis, but it also provides us the opportunity to re-engineer and reposition the nation on a firmer footing.”

State governors at the meeting praised the initiative as timely and crucial in addressing the country’s food security challenges. The move follows the soaring cost of food items in Nigeria, with the inflation rate now at 33.69 percent. Stakeholders have attributed the situation to multiple issues, including insecurity with armed men affecting some parts of the country’s food belt.

President Bola Tinubu had declared an emergency on food security about a year ago, emphasizing the need for synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and year-round food production. Tinubu also pledged to engage the nation’s security architecture to protect farms and farmers from attacks, enabling them to return to their farmlands without fear