President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a national emergency on food security marks a pivotal policy inflection point. Declarations, however bold, are only as powerful as the strategy and execution that follows. To feed a population exceeding 200 million requires confronting an uncomfortable reality: Nigeria’s food crisis is not merely a production deficit—it is the symptom of a broader systemic failure encompassing inadequate infrastructure, a dearth of modern storage facilities, compromised farmer security, fragmented logistics, and weak inter-agency coordination.
(1) INFRASTRUCTURE AND LOGISTICS: A NATIONAL WEAK SPOT
Nigeria suffers from a dearth of critical infrastructure, particularly in rural communities where agricultural activities are most concentrated. The inadequacy of feeder roads, limited access to reliable power for processing, and the near-total absence of cold chain logistics result in significant inefficiencies that undermine productivity. Despite potential increases in agricultural output, the inability to move goods efficiently from farms to markets leads to preventable losses. Logistics reform must be prioritized as a central component of agricultural policy.
(2) STORAGE: WHERE THE BATTLE IS LOST
Nigeria’s grain reserves are grossly inadequate, with silos either underutilized or poorly managed, exacerbating the country’s vulnerability to food insecurity. The private sector has yet to be effectively engaged in scaling decentralized storage solutions, which remain a critical gap. To achieve long-term food security, Nigeria must overhaul its storage infrastructure—modernizing, expanding, and digitizing storage systems, particularly at the community level.
(3) SECURITY AND FARMER SAFETY
Farmers in Nigeria are increasingly vulnerable to threats from armed conflict, banditry, and land insecurity. The safety of our farmers is directly tied to the stability of our food system—without secure farmlands, the agricultural sector cannot function effectively. Securing agricultural zones is not merely a humanitarian issue; it is an economic necessity. To address this, there must be a coordinated effort across ministries—agriculture, defense, and internal affairs—to establish agricultural safe zones. This initiative should be complemented by the deployment of advanced technologies for monitoring and early response, ensuring rapid action to protect both farmers and their livelihoods.
(4) COORDINATED GOVERNANCE AND REGULATORY ALIGNMENT
Policies continue to exist in silos. Ministries act independently, and implementation is delayed by bureaucracy. Declaring a national emergency in food systems would require cross-sector collaboration and time-bound delivery plans. This involves establishing a national task force to oversee food systems coordination, streamlining regulatory procedures for input distribution and land access, and promoting public-private partnerships to invest in mechanization, irrigation, and processing infrastructure.
(5) POST-HARVEST LOSSES: THE SILENT DRAIN
One of the most crippling yet under-addressed drivers of food insecurity in Nigeria is post-harvest losses. Estimates suggest that up to 40% of agricultural produce is lost between harvest and consumption—a staggering figure. These losses are primarily driven by systemic inefficiencies; inadequate storage infrastructure, poor rural road networks, limited access to cold chain systems, lack of market coordination, and insufficient farmer education on post-harvest handling practices. A comprehensive solution requires a multi-faceted approach such as those highlighted earlier.
Food security is more than a headline. The emergency is real—and the response must be just as serious.. If Nigeria is to feed itself and thrive in a world of rising protectionism—signaled by developments like Trump’s tariff return—we must build inward strength and have coordinated action, not fragmented response. At Agricome, we are taking deliberate steps to drive this transformation: sourcing and supplying quality inputs to smallholder farmers, enabling market access through robust quality control and certification, and promoting local processing to retain more value in-country. Beyond our operations, we advocate for policy reforms that prioritize farmer welfare and close key infrastructure gaps—efforts aimed at tackling the current food crisis while building long-term resilience in Nigeria’s agriculture.