OPINION!!

 

SUSTAINABLE AMELIORATION OF  THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA: By Archbishop Dr. Chibuzo Raphael Opoko

Chairman World Methodist Council, Social and International Affairs and the Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia

 

This novel pandemic ravaging the world will have long-term effects. In addition to economic collapse, socio- political fatique, it will cause a shortage of food supply which will result in social unrest with increased barbaric activities, crime, and possibly mortality rates.

How do I mean?

As Nigeria is heavily reliant on imported goods, border closures will adversely affect the supply of food. Our borders were closed before the pandemic and now is shut land, Sea and Air.

Nigeria’s food production capacity cannot cater for her teeming population. This will result in scarcity of food items and inflation. Already, the cost of food items has skyrocketted.

This global pandemic thus poses an increasing challenge to food security in Nigeria.

The two weeks’ lockdown has illustrated that the Federal and States governments palliatives and social intervention programmes are not sustainable.

The impact of the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19 has shown a strain of potential civil unrest. The social media and the pages of our newspapers papers  are agog with reports of young people constituting themselves into gangs to rob for food and money. Others hijack vehicles loaded with foodstuffs even bakery vans have not been spared as loaves of bread are forcefully taken.

The Federal and State government palliatives and social intervention programmes are highly commendable and appreciated though the one of the Federal Government is fraught with criticisms of unjust distribution and lack of transparency in ways they are being handled.Nevertheless, it’s  a commendable effort but they are not and cannot be sustainable.

How many days will the handouts last? A mere relief for just a week or two and one returns to square one?

A situation where able-bodied young men and women are receiving relief is not strategic.

The impact of this lockdown may not be short term. We must be creative to put immediate and long term prone measures that will make us not to have a ‘Hunger’ pandemic.

The Way Forward:

The Government should go beyond these short term relief and promote agricultural enterprise to ensure food security. Hence, our leaders must wake up to their responsibility by urgently delving into Agricultural activities.

We must evolve a constructive and strategic engagement of the young people in varied Agricultural endeavours.

The government must be intentional, to provide programmes that will provide opportunities to turn the aggressive energies of the young people to farming, to ensure food supplies and food security within the next six months, and after.

The government need to provide seedlings, cassava stems, fertilizers; create access roads to farms; and if possible, give allowances to these young people to motivate them the more.

The Role of the Church in Fighting Hunger and Poverty at this critical time and ensuring sustainable livelihood cannot be overemphasized. Even though the church’s  engagement in pure religion is highly commendable, the Church in addition should embark on a vigorous campaign, encouraging subsistence farming towards food security.

Every household must be encouraged to have gardens for vegetables, tomatoes, Cucumbers, Okro etc.

After consideration of the global and national challenges, this pandemic may occasion food insecurity, I suggest that all levels of government, through the relevant agencies, should increase food production by:

1. Prioritizing farming as an essential service.

2. Helping farmers in the clearing, preparation, and expansion of farmlands.

3. Subsidizing farm inputs like seedlings, Agro-Chemicals etc.

4. Providing practical access roads to the farms to enable farmers to cart away their produce.

5. Facilitating campaigns for people to engage in an agricultural enterprise.

6. Encourage social distancing and promote cautionary measures to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in these endeavours by providing face masks etc.

By this action, people will be gainfully employed, especially at this idle period.

These initiatives would facilitate food security, improve livelihoods, increase savings, and reduce inflation, crime, and mortality rates.

It is important to emphasize that government palliatives cannot sustain everyone through this period, and its aftermath. The government’s introduction of a sustainable approach will be appreciated. There may not be a better time than now. We have opportunity to leverage at this farming season.

The government need not hurriedly relax the lockdown, especially at the borders or state entry points, until COVID-19 is significantly curtailed.

Lockdown is very essential. People must be alive to eat. It is imperative if we must be spared of this catatrosphic pandemic. The State borders must be tightly locked-down. Even town to town travelling should be halted. Second provision of palliatives is imperative to give time to engage in the constructive and strategic engagement of the citizen’s in farming.

In God we Trust.