The daily lives of many Nigerians have deteriorated significantly due to soaring food prices, pushing residents of several towns in the center and north of the country to take to the streets to express their anger in recent weeks. Last week, in Suleja (center), hundreds of demonstrators marched through the streets, carrying signs that read: “Nigerians are suffering”. In Minna, in Niger State (north-central), demonstrators blocked roads. And in Kano (north), Nigeria’s second most populous city, women denounced the high prices of flour.
Since coming to power last year, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ended fuel subsidies and currency controls, leading to a tripling of gasoline prices and a rise in the cost of living, the naira losing its value sharply against the dollar. Nigeria’s inflation rate officially reached 28.92% in December, its highest level in three years.
Nigerians are grappling with “economic hardship, hunger and starvation”, underlined, Monday February 12, the influential traditional emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, calling on the president to take emergency measures. Videos posted on social media show Nigerian women in the north of the country digging in the earth to find seeds stored by ants, in order to feed their children. At least 63% of Nigeria’s 220 million people live in extreme poverty, according to official figures.
Many Nigerians have had to give up foods considered “luxuries” such as meat, eggs, milk and potatoes. In Kano, residents have turned to cheap, low-quality rice, called “afafata”, which means “to fight” in the Hausa language and refers to its use in difficult times. The cost of maize flour, millet and sorghum has also increased; 80% of cereals are produced in the northwest and northeast of the country, but insecurity in these regions has increased pressure on supplies.
Raids in warehouses
Deadly raids and kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs in the northwest and jihadist conflict in the northeast have displaced many farming communities. Nigeria also closed its border with Niger after the military coup that toppled President Mohamed Bazoum last year, preventing millet and cowpeas from reaching markets in the country’s north.
Nigerian Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari told Parliament on Monday that the country’s food security was under strain following the Covid-19 pandemic and devastating floods. But according to Ya’u Tumfafi, a manager at the Dawanau grain market, in the suburbs of Kano, the problem lies elsewhere: “Rich people have started selling cereals which they store in large quantities in warehouses. »
To address the growing discontent, President Tinubu ordered the release of 102,000 metric tonnes of grain from the strategic reserve to sell at a subsidized rate to bring down prices. In Kano, authorities raided warehouses where traders are suspected of storing food. Earlier this month, the Yobe State government banned bulk purchases of grains in local markets. Ditto in Niger State, where the governor ordered security forces to confiscate trucks carrying bulk products and “share food with the population”.
But for trader Ya’u Tumfafi, it’s just about “palliative measures” : “What impact can 102,000 metric tons have for 220 million people? Let the government secure our villages in the northwest and northeast so that people can come back and cultivate their farms. »