A hungry man is an angry man and an angry man can become a danger to his society. Thus, can the provision of enough food for every citizen of Nigeria bring about relative peace and end insecurity in Nigeria? The answer to this question is a simple, yes. Food security, employment and eradication of poverty are major contributory factors to insecurity and when addressed will minimize the rate of crime and other social ills in the society.
Food security does not only imply the provision of enough food for sale in markets, but they also making food readily available and affordable at all times even during normal and adverse situations. Food Banks or Food Reserve Programmes should be initiated to take care of adequate food storage with enough modern storages facilities that could store food items for a long time and still maintain its quality and quantity including maintaining market value.
An English Economist, Robert Thomas Malthus in 1798 indicated that the world’s population must ultimately outstrip food supply because if left unchecked, population increases geometrically while food production increases arithmetically. The realization of the impact of this statement although made in the sixteenth century is even more important today. Today, world population has overshoot seven billion. Regrettably our attitude to food production and population has not changed. This is why food shortage and inflation have continued to remain a burgeoning crisis.
People should begin to feel dividends of democracy of Nigeria should start from providing stomach infrastructure for the poorest of the poor in the society. Once the problems of hunger is solved, the war against insecurity is won as well.
Hence, agriculture should be promoted as a multi-sectoral tool to boost the economy, grow national GDP, end poverty and stamp out insecurity. A poor hungry man who has become angry will take out his anger on other innocent citizens.
It is important therefore that we have food security to end crime and criminality.
We go back to the land permanently and keep it busy by tapping all the abundant resources in our land before the oil dries up. Food insecurity is a threat to peace and stability especially in the developing World, Nigeria inclusive, since food security is of great significance to guarantee democracy, good governance and stable political economy. Hunger cuts across all ethnic, cultural and religious boundaries. There is need for international alliance or co-operation against hunger. A popular parlance in hungry societies says that most people in those societies eat once a day and the nutrition value of that singular meal is very poor.
Again, let us remember that a hungry man can begin to think evil because he has no peace. This hunger and stomach attack can trigger-off crime-waves in those societies and their youths can become more aggressive. This is now insecurity in its general form. Thus when we are fighting insecurity of life and property, let us also fight food and stomach insecurity.
Written by LIVINUS NNEBEDUM
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