In a coordinated response to Nigeria’s escalating food inflation, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has partnered with governors from all 36 states to initiate a nationwide intervention aimed at stabilising food supply and addressing insecurity in agricultural zones.
The unprecedented move comes as food inflation soared to over 40% year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, compounding the hardships faced by millions of Nigerians and fuelling public frustration.
The joint initiative was announced following a high-level meeting in Abuja, where stakeholders agreed on immediate and medium-term measures. These include deploying security forces to protect farmers in high-risk areas, reopening farmlands affected by banditry and insurgency, and coordinating logistics to improve food distribution across states.
“We cannot afford to allow food insecurity to threaten our national stability,” said NSA Ribadu. “This is a national emergency, and we are mobilising every available resource in partnership with state governments to restore confidence to farmers and curb artificial scarcity.”
State governors also pledged to support federal security operations and scale up local initiatives such as food banks, subsidised farm inputs, and community surveillance groups.
Experts have welcomed the move but caution that long-term solutions will require sustained investments in irrigation, storage, and market access infrastructure.
The federal-state coalition is expected to issue a detailed implementation framework in the coming weeks.
