Residents Invade Warehouse in Abuja, Loot Foodstuffs, Others Amid Hardship

In a recent development, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has clarified that the warehouse looted in Abuja on Sunday did not belong to the agency. The incident, which saw hoodlums breaking into a storage facility in the Gwagwa area of Abuja and looting stored food items, has been a source of concern amidst the growing hardship in Nigeria.

Residents of the area reported that youths broke into the warehouse located around the Tasha area of the community in the early hours of Sunday and looted bags of maize and other grains. It was also noted that residents of neighboring Jiwa and Karmo communities joined in the looting.

NEMA’s spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, stated on Sunday in Abuja, “This is to clarify that the looted warehouse does not belong to NEMA. However, the agency sympathizes with the owners of the looted facility.” In light of this incident, the Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed, has directed Zonal Directors and Heads of Operations to strengthen security in and around NEMA offices and warehouses nationwide. “The directive is to forestall any security breach at NEMA’s facilities across the country,” Mr. Ezekiel added.

This incident comes at a time when many Nigerians are facing hardship due to the removal of fuel subsidy and the devaluation of the naira after it was floated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The economic policies have led to a significant increase in the prices of goods and a soaring rate of inflation.

Hardship: AfDB Grants Nigeria $134 Million to Cultivate Rice, Maize, Others

In response to the growing food crisis in Nigeria, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has provided the country with $134 million in support for the cultivation of essential crops such as rice, maize, cassava, and soybeans. This initiative aims to enhance food production and alleviate the hardship faced by Nigerians.

Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the president of the AfDB, announced the allocation during his visit to the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) at Bayero University, Kano. He informed newsmen that the bank is set to back Nigeria in cultivating 300,000 hectares of both rice and maize, alongside 150,000 hectares of cassava and 50,000 hectares of soybeans for the planting season of 2024.

Adesina highlighted the importance of adapting to climate change and adopting better ways of using water, especially in the cultivation of dryland crops that are more resilient and tolerant. He said, “We live in an era of climate change and yet only three per cent of African agriculture is under irrigation. We have to make sure we help our farmers with information that is timely and appropriate.”

Furthermore, Adesina mentioned that the AfDB would offer grants to the CDA and work in collaboration with it to develop a center focused on weather pattern predictions and information collection. This collaboration aims to enable farmers to plant more effectively and efficiently.

Nigeria currently grapples with unprecedented food inflation, which stands at 35.41% according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics. The prices of food items have quadrupled, leading to a food crisis and a nationwide protest by organized labor over persistent hunger in the country.

In a separate development, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a generous donation of 25,000 tons of wheat from the Government of Ukraine. This donation will help provide emergency food assistance to 1.3 million crisis-affected people in Nigeria. The shipment was made possible through a collaborative effort from various countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Republic of Korea, and Sweden, which helped cover the costs of transporting the wheat from Ukraine to Nigeria and its distribution to the families in need.

The WFP noted that deadly conflicts have displaced millions of households from their homes and farmlands, negatively affecting food production and supply in Nigeria.