Systemic Corruption Driving Nigeria’s Food Crisis, Youth Forum Warns

The Nigeria Youth Forum (NYF) has raised alarm over worsening food insecurity in the country, identifying systemic corruption as the main factor fueling the crisis. The group warned that unless decisive measures are taken, more than 25 million Nigerians could soon face acute hunger.

In a statement released on Tuesday, NYF National President Comrade Toriah Olajide Filani expressed serious concern about the diversion of agricultural machinery, weak budgetary commitments, and poor oversight of key government interventions.

He described the country’s increasing dependence on food imports and foreign aid as “a national tragedy and policy failure,” especially given Nigeria’s enormous arable land potential.

Filani noted that only 35 percent of Nigeria’s cultivable land is currently being utilized, mostly by smallholder farmers who lack access to modern equipment and essential support services.

He criticized the persistent neglect of the agricultural sector in national planning, pointing out that only 1.32 percent of Nigeria’s 2024 national budget was allocated to agriculture—far below the 10 percent target set by the African Union under the Maputo and Malabo Declarations.

“Government may be trying on paper, but the reality is different in the fields. Agricultural machineries meant for community use are being diverted by individuals and sold off. These acts sabotage every effort aimed at achieving food sufficiency,” Filani stated.

While he acknowledged the federal government’s move to increase the 2025 agriculture budget to ₦826 billion—a 128 percent jump from the previous year—Filani emphasized that without effective implementation, transparency, and accountability, the increase would have little real impact.

“What we have is a pattern of underinvestment, where only 15 to 19 percent of what is budgeted ends up reaching the sector. The rest is either lost to bureaucratic bottlenecks or corruption,” he said.

Filani stressed the importance of agriculture in solving multiple national issues, including youth unemployment, GDP growth, and rural insecurity. He cited positive examples such as Kano State, where consistent investment in agriculture has led to a noticeable reduction in rural crime compared to regions afflicted by insurgency and banditry.

“Where young people are engaged in farming, they are less likely to become involved in criminal activity,” he explained.

He also pointed out that Nigeria’s sluggish agricultural reforms are holding back the country’s broader development ambitions.

“We cannot industrialize Nigeria until we develop the agricultural sector as well as our metal industries. The process of industrialization is being delayed because we have failed to lay the right foundation through a solid and self-sufficient agro-economic base,” he stated.

To address the crisis, the NYF urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a national agricultural emergency and to launch a comprehensive, youth-centered, innovation-driven revival plan for the sector.

The group proposed the establishment of youth-led agricultural cooperatives, expansion of mechanized farming schemes, and the introduction of productivity benchmarks for each state. They also called for the creation of a public dashboard to track real-time implementation of agricultural projects and budget allocations.

Filani warned, “Until we begin to measure impact and enforce accountability, agricultural reforms will remain televised propaganda without grassroots results.”

Citing data from both the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the NYF said that without urgent reform, Nigeria’s food crisis could deepen poverty, worsen insecurity, and cripple the country’s economic and industrial potential. Nigeria’s position at 103rd out of 121 countries on the 2023 Global Hunger Index underscores the gravity of the situation.

“Nigeria should be the food basket of Africa, not a nation of hungry people sitting on fertile soil,” Filani added.