AMID acute hunger ravaging Nigerians, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has devoted N5 billion to install new transformers and cables in Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio’s constituency.

The ministry plans to install new transformers and cables in Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district, which is the constituency which Mr Akpabio represents. No other constituency was given that privilege except that zone, Economy Post understands.

Mr Akpabio represents Akwa Ibom North West senatorial zone comprising 10 local government areas of Abak, Essien, Etim Ekpo, Ikono, Ika, Ini, Ikot-Ekpene, Oruk Anam, Obot, and Ukanafun.

The 2024 budget shows that apart from installing new transformers, the N5 billion will also be used to rehabilitate some roads within the constituency.

READ ALSO: Agric Budget: Akpabio’s senatorial zone gets 21 projects, food-belt states receive nothing

It is not clear whether there is any connection between these transformers/ roads and food production or security.

Acute hunger

At the point the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is committing billions of naira to install transformers and cables in Mr Akpabio’s constituency, many Nigerians are facing acute hunger owing to high food prices and naira depreciation.

Inflation has skyrocketed since May 29, 2023 when President Bola Tinubu came to power, rising from 22.79 percent in June 2023 to 29.90 percent in January 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Food inflation, which shows price movements of basic food items, has risen from 25.09 percent in June 2023 to 35.41 percent in January 2024, Economy Post earlier reported.

Naira has weakened by over 50 percent since Mr Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023. As an import-dependent economy, the naira depreciation has raised prices of products and worsened the cost of living crisis in the country.

Protests have also spread across the country owing to the rising cost of living.

On February 19, 2024, protesters in Oyo State, southwestern Nigeria, converged at Mokola Roundabout, before moving to Sango, University of Ibadan and Bodija market to decry the rising cost of food and other essential items in Africa’s biggest oil producer.

Premium Times quoted the leader of the protest, Mr Emiola Solomon, as saying that the poor management of the economy was hitting them hard.

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“This is all due to the bad economic policies of President Bola Tinubu. The masses are suffering due to the hike in prices of food items. Buying food has become difficult now. All food items are costly.”

A group of youths had, on February 9, 2024, protested in Osogbo, Osun State capital, southwestern Nigeria, over the rising cost of living, urging the government to immediately intervene and save lives.

Apart from the South-West Nigeria, protests have occurred in Niger and Kano states over the rising cost of food, Economy Post earlier reported.

Roads were blocked on February 5, 2024, as residents of Minna, Niger State capital, protested the high cost of living in the country, chanting angry songs while police officers and other security personnel watched.

One of the protesters, Mr Abubakar Ciroma, told Economy Post on the phone that “he is disappointed with the way President Tinubu has managed the economy,” stressing that he was struggling to feed his 8 children.

Another protester, Mr Danladi Umar, noted that he voted for Mr Tinubu on the understanding that he would bring his Lagos formula to Nigeria but was regretting that cost of living was getting worse and the “Lagos magic” was failing.

Mobs have also been attacking trucks carrying food products. A BUA Group truck conveying cartons of Spaghetti was attacked on Saturday, March 2, by a mob at Dogarawa axis of Zaria-Kano Expressway.

A mob also looted a food warehouse belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Sunday, March 3.

Mr Tinubu has partially removed the costly and opaque petrol subsidy and also floated the foreign exchange market. But these have led to skyrocketing cost of living in Africa’s most populous nation.

Agric ministry’s lopsided allocation

Economy Post had earlier reported that Akwa Ibom North West zone will be getting 21 out of 118 projects planned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in 2024.

READ ALSO: Inside the ‘dubious’ 2024 budget of Ministry of Youth Development

While Mr Akpabio’s zone will get the highest number of projects from the ministry in 2024, some food-producing states will receive nothing.

Benue State, for instance, which is the largest producer of cassava, mangoes, and oranges, as well as second largest producer of yam, and third biggest farmer of rice, did not get anything special from the budget. Jigawa, Nassarawa, Kaduna, Yobe, among others, got no special allocations in the ministry’s 2024 budget.

Economy Post contacted Mr Akpabio’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Eseme Eyiboh, to find out if he influenced the projects but he referred the reporter to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for explanation. He did not provide an answer as to why his principal would be getting 21 projects just from one government ministry.

Director of Information, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Joel Oruche, did not respond to text and WhatsApp messages regarding whether the projects were influenced by Mr Akpabio or not – even though he read them.

Economy Post could not get Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Production Services, and Rural Development, Mr Saliu Mustapha, for his response.

Experts knock agric ministry

Experts have criticised the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for paying attention to transformers in the Senate president’s constituency while the majority of Nigerians wallow in acute hunger.

A senior university lecturer, Dr James Tahiru, said this kind of situation was capable of creating discontent and chaos in the polity.

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“One would expect that the ministry would focus on reducing the level of acute hunger in the country today. One would expect that allocations would focus on providing seedlings, farm implements or equipment and other inputs to rural farmers. But to see that N5 billion is for transformers and cables or rehabilitation of roads not meant for food supply is not acceptable.”

A United Kingdom-based agriculture economist, Dr Bunmi Kehinde, said: “This has been one of the major reasons for food insecurity and protests in Nigeria. The leaders don’t just care and everything is just about winning elections and retaining power, rather than bettering the lives of the people which you are supposed to serve,” she said.