FOOD POLICY FAILURE AND NIGERIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY

Abstract

Nigeria’s persistent food policy failures stem from deep-rooted corruption, inconsistent implementation, and external pressures such as civil unrest and climate shifts, which severely threatens national stability. By mid-2025, an estimated 33 million people face acute hunger, up from 31.8 million in 2024, driven by floods, displacement, and 30% inflation. These shortcomings inflate food prices, erode public trust, and destabilize regional economies, creating fertile ground for terrorism and communal violence. Insurgent groups, such as Boko Haram, exploit food scarcity to recruit and disrupt supply chains, while herder-farmer clashes over dwindling resources further weaken state authority. Corruption diverts agricultural funds, with budgets falling short of the 10% Maputo target, leaving smallholder farmers producing 90% of Nigeria’s food vulnerable to attacks and low yields due to inadequate infrastructure and support. Policy stagnation, marked by short-lived initiatives like the Anchor Borrowers' Programme, fails to address systemic issues, perpetuating dependency on imports and insecurity. This study applies Marxist theory to analyze how capitalist exploitation and class dynamics intensify these crises, highlighting the need for structural reforms. It identifies gaps in linking policy lapses to security threats and proposes targeted strategies, including transparent audits, enhanced farmland security, and climate-adaptive farming.