Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has launched a blistering attack on Nigeria’s political elite, accusing them of turning the country into a hunger zone despite its vast natural and agricultural wealth.
Reacting to a recent United Nations report that 34 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger, Sani argued that the crisis has nothing to do with climate change or resource scarcity but everything to do with leadership failure.
“The difference between hunger in Nigeria and that of other poorer countries is that Nigeria’s hunger is not about lack of resources or climatic factors; it’s about lack of humanity, empathy, vision and will in the hearts of those who have been in custody of its resources,” Sani posted on X (formerly Twitter) Friday.
The former lawmaker, known for his fiery commentaries on governance, lamented the irony of a country blessed with natural abundance yet drowning in poverty and food insecurity.
“A nation with over 200 rivers and 95% arable lands should have no business with hunger,” he said, describing the situation as a man-made tragedy engineered by greed, corruption, and systemic neglect.
Hunger Amid Plenty
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and top oil producer, continues to grapple with chronic food shortages despite fertile lands and vast water resources. Experts blame insecurity in food-producing regions, poor infrastructure, and policy inconsistency for the worsening crisis.
The UN’s alarming projection comes amid skyrocketing food prices and a plunging naira, leaving millions unable to afford basic staples like rice and maize. In rural communities, malnutrition rates are rising, particularly among children.
READ ALSO: Shehu Sani to FG: Enough Talks, Take Action Against Terrorists Now
Sani’s comments strike at the heart of a national debate: Why is Nigeria, a country with so much, unable to feed its people?
A Crisis of Leadership, Not Nature
Analysts agree with Sani’s assertion that the hunger crisis is more political than environmental. With 95 percent of its land classified as arable and abundant freshwater sources, Nigeria theoretically holds the capacity to feed not just itself but much of West Africa.
Instead, decades of corruption, mismanagement of agricultural funds, and insecurity have crippled food production. Farmers across the Middle Belt and Northwest abandon their fields under siege from bandits and insurgents, while billions earmarked for agricultural schemes vanish into private pockets.
‘Time to Act’
As hunger deepens, calls for urgent intervention grow louder. Experts say Nigeria needs a radical shift from dependency on oil revenue to an agrarian economy capable of guaranteeing food security.
For Shehu Sani, the solution lies in political will and moral clarity:
“Until those entrusted with power put humanity before greed, Nigerians will remain hungry in a land of plenty.”