Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has criticized the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what he describes as worsening food insecurity in Nigeria, despite various agricultural interventions. Obi made his remarks in a statement released via his official X handle on Thursday.
Hunger Index Worsens Under Tinubu
“Despite Three Years of Tinubu’s Food Emergency, Nigeria’s hungriest ranking index declined to among the worst nations globally,” Obi stated. He noted that President Tinubu, in celebrating his supposed successful three years in office, listed some achievements in the agricultural sector, including a declaration of emergency on food security in July 2023, followed by the acquisition of 2,000 tractors and 9,000 farming implements, described as Nigeria’s largest agricultural mechanisation programme.
“Yet the outcome of this has been the opposite. Nigeria’s hunger index has worsened significantly,” Obi said. He pointed out that Nigeria’s hunger index ranking was 103rd out of 123 countries surveyed in 2022/2023, and this figure has since worsened to 115th out of 123 countries surveyed in 2025/2026.
World Bank Forecasts Severe Hunger
“Consequently, Nigeria is now classified among the world’s most hungry or food-insecure nations, with the World Bank forecasting that 33 million Nigerians could experience severe hunger. In fact, Nigeria has the highest number of hungry people in the world,” Obi added.
Obi emphasized that Nigeria has no reason to be among the hungriest nations, given its vast uncultivated land in the north, which he described as the country’s greatest asset. “We must transparently invest in agricultural production, which will guarantee food security but also create huge employment,” the NDC presidential candidate concluded.
