Nigeria Ranks 19 On Hunger Index: Tinubu Campaigns  For Two Years Policy Gestation Period

It seems the turn of events-leadership induced poverty and hunger has forced President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress(APC)  to stage a grand design to start scavenging for patience from Nigerians who are increasingly becoming hopeless and frustrated. Recall that the late Prince Tony Momoh of APC had told Nigerians to cast stones on APC if it fails them. This was before it took power from the opposition party. President Mohammadu Buhari’s eight years in office was a nightmare and Tinubu’s eight months has left no hope of respite.

Now, religious leaders, motivational speakers, law makers among others are being deployed to instill hope in people. It was a surprise to hear the General Overseer of  Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye adding his voice to the naira fall against the dollars. He said Naira will rise again and do better than the dollar and the people chorused AMEN.

One Olamide Emmanuel  who could best be described as a motivational speaker, speaking on a TVC programme said Tinubu is taking the right decisions referencing floating the naira, that he mistakenly called dollars and the subsidy removal but that the policies need two years as gestation period to yield fruits.

Some law makers have also called on Nigerians to give Tinubu’s administration two years to perform miracle!

The question is, what is in two years? Buhari had eight years and nothing happened! Now, Olamide forgets that investment or policy reforms does not have a given or stated gestation period to succeed. Olamide was signed on to propagate buying of time with two years interval. It is also not coincidental that some lawmakers pleaded for the same two years from Nigerians.

 The Law of gestation applies to every aspect of life. Gestation is defined as “the process or period of developing inside the womb between conception and birth, or the development of something over a period of time”

Every business conceived, every goal set to be achieved takes time to grow before result is seen. But the success does not depend on the period but doing the right things at the right time with persistence and evaluation. It however, depends on the business, fund and environment as well as human resources. You can give Tinubu  five years as gestation period for fuel subsidy and floating of the Naira, if the macro-economic enablers are not right  like we see now, no miracle is showing forth anywhere.

Meanwhile, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023 shows that hunger level in Nigeria is serious. Nigeria ranks 109th out of 125 countries analyzed. 

According to GHI report for 2023, Nigeria is only two places ahead of India, which ranks 111th, and a place ahead of Zambia, which ranks 110th. 

Nigeria is below Congo and Zimbabwe, with both countries on the 107th rank.

With a score of 28.3 the 2023 Global Hunger Index, shows hunger level in Nigeria is serious while Central African Republic, which ranks 125th with a score of 42.5, has an alarming rate of hunger. 

Recall that in January, Tribune reported that Inflation rate in Nigeria rose to 28.92 percent in December 2023 from 28.20 percent recorded in November indicating a record 20-year high since January 2003.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that released the data on Monday attributed the rise partly to food inflation, which rose to 33.93 percent in December from 32.84 percent in November, constituting 50 percent of the inflation rate.

GHI illustration of Hunger level in Nigeria

About the Global Hunger Index

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels, reflecting multiple dimensions of hunger over time. The GHI is intended to raise awareness and understanding of the struggle against hunger, provide a way to compare levels of hunger between countries and regions, and call attention to those areas of the world where hunger levels are highest and where the need for additional efforts to eliminate hunger is greatest.

How the GHI Is Calculated

Each country’s GHI score is calculated based on a formula that combines four indicators that together capture the multidimensional nature of hunger:

Undernourishment: the share of the population whose caloric intake is insufficient.

Child stunting: the share of children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.

Child wasting: the share of children under the age of five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition.

Child Mortality: the share of children who die before their fifth birthday, reflecting in part the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments.