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WFP Votes $2.5bn To Fight Hunger, Malnutrition In Nigeria
The United Nations World Food Programme says it has budgeted 2.5bn dollars in the 2023 to-2027 Nigeria Country Strategy Plans geared towards achieving zero hunger and improved nutrition across the country.
The Head of Programme, WFP, Mr. Seriene Loum, said this at the Co-creation workshop organised by the organisation in collaboration with the National Social Investment Programme Agency in Abuja, on Wednesday.
Loum who represented WFP Country Director, said WFP strategic goal was to ensure a world without hunger in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (1 and 2) on poverty and zero hunger.
He said the organisation would work closely with member states of United Nations including Nigeria to mobilise resources to be able to fully implement the programmes.
“WFP Nigeria CSP 2023 t0 2027 a five-year project has a dedicated activity for strengthening institutional capacities and enhanced enabling environment in line with national target to achieve zero hunger by 2030.
“The project focuses on food technology, fortification of supply chain management, improving nutrition and emergency preparedness responses.
“2023 to 2027 have five pillars and each of them focuses on zero hunger and improved nutrition.
“We have some interventions that focus on emergency response, making sure that people will not go to bed hungry which are lifesaving activities that aim to provide immediate food assistance to people that are in need,’’ he said.
Loum identified Nigeria as operating one of the biggest social safety nets programme in Africa.
He said it was also encouraging that Nigeria had an ambitious safety nets programme target at uplifting hundreds of millions of its populace out of poverty.
He said: “considering the current economic trend and level of vulnerabilities in Nigeria the Cadre Harmonised (C result of October 2024 reveals that about 25 million Nigerians are acutely food insecure and projected to reach 33 million between June to August 2025.
“It is therefore expedient that all stakeholders most especially, WFP need to work together with the Federal Government for this very ambitious goal to be achieved,’’ he said.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer, NSIPA, Prof. Badamasi Lawal, said the seminar was meant to harness collective expertise and resources to achieve meaningful impact in the lives of Nigerians.
Represented by the Director, Human Resources Management, Mrs Uche Obi, the NSIPA boss commended WFP for its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to address poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
According to him, the WFP partnership is a testament to the power of international cooperation and the shared vision of creating a more equitable and prosperous society.
“The NSIP launched in 2016, elevated to a full-fledged Agency in 2023 has made significant strides in addressing poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.
“Through various programmes, including the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise, and Empowerment Programme, Grant for Vulnerable Groups, and N-Power, we have reached millions of Nigerians.
“We are providing them with opportunities for economic empowerment, education, and improved well-being.
“The WFP’s expertise in food security, nutrition, and emergency response will be invaluable in enhancing our programs and achieving greater impact. This collaboration will enable us to leverage each other’s strengths, share knowledge, and develop innovative solutions to address the complex challenges facing our nation,’’ he said.
He said WFP support had made it possible for the Federal Government to pull stakeholders in meaningful discussions and in shaping the future of their partnership.
“Your investment in this partnership is a testament to your commitment to Nigeria’s development and the well-being of its people,’’ he said.
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”