EU Warns of Looming Food Insecurity in Nigeria.
European Union (EU)
The European Union (EU) has warned Nigeria over a possible future food insecurity challenge and insurgency due to the high demographic growth rate in the Northern part of the country.
The European Union (EU) has warned Nigeria over a possible future food insecurity challenge and insurgency due to the high demographic growth rate in the Northern part of the country.
Head of Operations, EU Delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Brian O' Neil
explained that the demographic growth in the Northern part of Nigeria
has a growth rate of 3 per cent which doubles every 20 years,
maintaining that if Nigeria cannot feed its teeming population now, the
situation is likely to get much worse.
"The population of Northern Nigeria doubles every 20 years. If we
have a major food security issue today, it is going to get much worse.
So we really need to concentrate on the multi-sector approach because a
population growth at that level will damage us in a way that we do not
understand and would drive insurgency," he said.
O' Neil sounded this warning during the 3rd EU-Nigeria business forum tagged "Time for Private Sector" in Lagos
In his words, " The need for rapid action is required. We have to adopt a mulit-sector approach in health, nutrition, social production and family planning."
In his words, " The need for rapid action is required. We have to adopt a mulit-sector approach in health, nutrition, social production and family planning."
He added that the malnutrition rate and mortality rate are both
abnormally high in northern Nigeria, stressing that UNICEF estimates
that over 1 million children under 2 years of age are currently at high
risk of acute malnutrition in northern Nigeria.
"This need not be. This great and fertile land is more than capable of feeding its entire people adequately. Recent advances in understanding Nigeria has helped Nigeria to fortify and improve the nutrition quality of food, also leading to an increased production of higher value products," he said.
"This need not be. This great and fertile land is more than capable of feeding its entire people adequately. Recent advances in understanding Nigeria has helped Nigeria to fortify and improve the nutrition quality of food, also leading to an increased production of higher value products," he said.
According to him, farmers are becoming increasingly aware of the extra
revenue that comes from better crops, stating that most of the
essential ingredients such as micro nutrients to fortify foods can be
found in the country.
"The capacity to increase the production of food in the country is
already here. The need for action is urgent. In spite of its resources
and dynamic people, Nigeria is not on course to meet its Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). Industry and the health sector need to form
partnership to work together to increase the production of nutritious
food to treat malnutrition , in this, you will have the food support of
the development partners such as the European Union," he said.
"We have worked together in this kind of partnership in other countries
and we believe we can do it in Nigeria. A good result from this forum
will be a firm commitment from the public and private sectors with the
support of development partners to expand the production and
availability of high nutritious value products because a healthy nation
is a wealthy nation," he stressed.
He said the EU is also keen on strengthening global private sector and
the civil society in achieving an inclusive and sustainable growth in
Nigeria.
Earlier, the head of European Union Delegation to Nigeria and Ecowas,
Ambassador, Michel Arrion Nigeria lost the top spot as a result of the
harsh operating business environment in the country, making the nation
uncompetitive in the global market.
this day.
