The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called for urgent action to tackle hunger in Nigeria amid estimates that 36 million Nigerians will face acute hunger this year.
Obi made the call in a statement commemorating World Food Day on Friday, October 16, 2026, saying Nigerians were confronting a painful reality as hunger, poverty, and insecurity continued to affect millions of families across the country.
“Nigeria is now one of the hungriest countries in the world, ranking 117th out of 125, down from 109th out of 125 in 2023, when the current administration came into office,” he said.
“The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that about 36 million Nigerians will face acute hunger this year.”
Obi noted that the situation was particularly troubling because Nigeria has vast expanses of arable and fertile land.
He, however, claimed that about 60 per cent of the country’s land remained uncultivated, creating opportunities for terrorist organisations and other non-state actors to use forested areas as hideouts.
The former Anambra State governor stated that Nigerians deserved a country where no family went to bed hungry, farmers could work without fear, and poverty and insecurity were addressed with urgency and compassion.
Obi stressed that the fight against hunger must be treated as a national emergency.
He pledged that, if elected president in 2027, his administration would secure the country and enable farmers to return to their farms safely.
Obi also promised to provide farmers with targeted grants, subsidies, and other forms of support.
He expressed confidence that, through collective efforts, Nigeria could become a country where no one went to bed hungry and every farmer could work in peace and dignity.
