The chaotic scenes at food distribution events in Ibadan, Anambra, and Abuja, which claimed at least 50 lives, including children, have cast a glaring spotlight on Nigeria’s worsening hunger crisis.

These tragedies, marked by stampedes and despair, are reminders of the deepening plight of millions in Africa’s most populous nation, where access to basic food has become a matter of life and death.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, is in the throes of an acute food crisis. Spiraling inflation—34.60% in November—has driven the cost of food to untenable levels. With food inflation at 39.93%, staples like rice, beans, and bread are slipping beyond the reach of millions. The impact is palpable.

“I can no longer afford to feed my children three meals a day,” said Mary Adeoye, a single mother of three in Lagos. “I now depend on gifts from families and friends to meet basic needs.”

Mary’s plight is emblematic of a larger crisis. The 2024 Global Report on Food Crises ranks Nigeria second globally in terms of acute food insecurity, with over 24 million people classified as food insecure. This is in contrast to the country’s vast potential; 40.48% of Nigeria’s land is arable.

The crisis has been exacerbated by economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including the removal of fuel subsidies and a unified exchange rate policy. While aimed at stabilising the economy in the long term, these reforms have significantly reduced purchasing power, plunging more Nigerians into poverty.

Read also: Stampedes and starvation: A grim verdict on Nigeria’s economic leadership

The World Bank projects that over 129 million Nigerians now live below the poverty line, further straining household budgets already stretched thin by high food costs.

The widespread hunger has fueled several protests, including the recent 10-day #EndBadGovernance demonstrations in August, highlighting the public’s frustration with the government’s handling of the crisis.

“The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives,” said Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the last presidential election, in reaction to the stampedes.

“How do we explain that in a nation blessed with abundant resources, our people are dying of hunger in such numbers? How is it possible that we cannot feed our citizens despite the vast, fertile lands our nation is endowed with? My heart bleeds.”

In response to the growing crisis, the government had earlier rolled out measures such as distributing grains to vulnerable groups and suspending duties and taxes on food imports for 150 days. Yet, these palliatives have done little to stem the tide.

Nigerians are spending an alarming 65% of their income on food, according to the World Food Programme. For many, this has meant sacrificing healthcare, education, and other essentials.

“As a nation, we must collectively retrace our steps and prioritise policies and actions that uplift the lives of our people. Let us redirect our focus toward creating a system where no citizen is left desperate for necessities,” Obi said.

In his Christmas message, Mathew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, said, “The failures of government to respond concretely toward ending the horrible crisis of hunger and desperation has created the conditions for these avoidable tragedies.”

“Government needs to work more closely with institutions that help to promote the common good of our society,” he advised.

Read also: Bishop Kukah blames stampedes on FG’s failure to tackle hunger

However, President Bola Tinubu has blamed the masses and organisers for the stampedes that occurred during the palliative distribution. The president stated Nigerians don’t like to queue, saying that it reflects in our bus stops.

Tinubu made these remarks during his first Presidential Media Chat in Lagos on Monday, blaming the organisers of the giveaways for the tragedies, which claimed the lives of more than 50 Nigerians, including children.

“It reflects in our bus stops where we don’t even like to be in the queue before we rush into the vehicle. It is very sad, but we will continue to learn from our mistakes.

“To me, I see this as a very great error on the part of the organisers but things are improving and it doesn’t kill our happiness,” Tinubu said.

The president also defended his reforms, stating that they are necessary to save the country from future disasters.

“I don’t have any regrets whatsoever in removing petrol subsidy. We are spending our future; we were just deceiving ourselves. That reform was necessary,” he said.

The stampede

About 35 children reportedly died and several others seriously injured in a crowd crush at a school fair in Ibadan, Oyo State, penultimate Wednesday.

Reports had it that 5,000 young people had been expected at the event, where children were expected “win exciting prizes like scholarships and other bountiful gifts,” but multitude turned up and began to scramble for the gift items.

That same week, there was another incident at Okija town in Anambra State, South East geopolitical zone. Number of casualties has since risen to 22 according to police sources.

The sad incident occurred when residents rushed to collect Christmas donations, including rice and vegetable oil.

On the same day, a similar tragedy occurred at a Catholic Church in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, which claimed about 10 lives.

There have been several deadly crowd crushes in Nigeria this year. Two students reportedly died and 23 were hurt in March as thousands of people gathered for bags of rice being handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University in central Nigeria.

Four women were killed later the same month outside the office of a wealthy businessman in the northern city of Bauchi, where they were waiting to collect a cash gift of 5,000 naira (less than £3) to help pay for food during Ramadan. Reports had it that the tragedy occurred when the crowd surged to get hold of the money.