A Coalition of civil society organisations has reminded the government that Nigerians have a right to food; hence efforts must be put in place to ensure its availability, affordability and accessibility.
The organisations include Oxfam, Voice for Food Security (VFS), Farm and Infrastructure Foundation (FIF), All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN).
FIF founder and president, Prof. Gbolagade Ayoola, who spoke on behalf of the others during a press conference at the weekend in Abuja, maintained that the right to food is constitutional in Nigeria; therefore, no citizen should suffer lack of access.
He said a bill seeking an Act affirming right to food had been pursued at the 6th Assembly (2007-2011), 7th Assembly (2011-2015), 8th Assembly (2015-2019), 9th Assembly (2019-2023), and was eventually assented to by former President Muhammadu Buhari on March 3, 2023.
Ayoola said the Act became a national legislation, following passage into law by 27 state Houses of Assembly, after it surpassed the required benchmark of 24 state Houses of Assembly.
The coalition, however, said the government should go beyond merely having the Act in its law books by implementing its details. It called on authorities to initiate policies that guarantee food security through availability, accessibility and affordability.
It said measures should be taken to ensure food security is not compromised by individuals, groups or institutions, even as it tasked the government to promote and sustain activities that enhance production.
“The government at the national, state and local level gave the Act teeth to bite by implementing it faithfully and responsibly. It is also left for people themselves to take full advantage of the Act and participate more proactively in the food policy process that affects their lives,” the coalition said.
It urged non-state actors and development partners to assist government and civil society towards successful implementation of the right to food.
