Nigeria is currently experiencing food inflation which is said to be triggered by factors such as insecurity, fuel scarcity, naira devaluation currency crisis, rising inflation and increase in consumer price index rates.
The worrisome development puts millions of citizens at risk of starvation and malnutrition, raising fears that the country may witness another round of citizens’s action if the current food crisis continues unabated
Janta Adams is one of the urban settlements in Jos, Plateau State, North-Central Nigeria.
This densely populated area is inhabited mostly by low income earners who struggle on a daily basis to eck a living.
Mrs Felicia Ayuba lives here with her husband and five children. Today, the husband has gone for daily hustle, while she remains at home with three of the children who could not further their education due to lack of resources.
From all indications, educational pursuit is not a priority on the scale of preference for this family, whose major concern at the moment is getting food on table amid skyrocketing prices of food commodities in the market
The Ayuba’s are not the only family in Plateau State affected by what apparently has become a food crisis worsened by rising inflation in Nigeria.
For many residents, the rising cost of food items such as tomatoes, potatoes and carrots is an aberration for a State that produces vegetables in abundance.
Findings from a quick market survey in Jos show that a you bag of Irish potatoes which previously sold for between 15 to 20 thousand Naira was recently sold for 150 thousand Naira and above.
How these items have suddenly become a luxury for residents of a state that also exports vegetables to other parts of the country has become a cause of worry.
The situation, according to economic watchers, is a major fallout of insecurity, poor implementation of agricultural policies and programs, as well as the removal of subsidy on petrol and the subsequent price increase which have had a rippling effect on other products and services
The government at the center and the sub-nationals are expected to speed up implementation of ongoing initiatives to tackle the current food crisis and reduce inflation in order to resonate hope of survival for indigent families such as the “Abagas” who are eagerly anticipating some relief in times of economic hardship.
For now, the pulse on the streets of Jos, Plateau State suggests widespread Hunger which may degenerate into anger and frustration that may lead to chaos if the authorities fail to take urgent steps to address the disturbing situation.
