The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has accused opposition parties of politicising Nigeria’s food security projections, describing attempts to link the figures to President Bola Tinubu’s possible re-election as misleading.
Kyari said the opposition was exploiting the October 2026 Cadre Harmonisé food security assessment for political campaigns instead of addressing the challenges confronting Nigerians affected by food and nutrition insecurity.
In a statement, the minister explained that the Cadre Harmonisé is a technical early-warning system developed by the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), in partnership with international organisations, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.
He described as false and politically motivated claims that the projection of 33.5 million Nigerians facing severe food and nutrition insecurity between June and August 2027 was connected to Tinubu’s potential re-election.
According to him, the projected figure reflects seasonal food insecurity during the lean period and represents a slight improvement on the 34.8 million Nigerians projected to face similar conditions in 2026.
Kyari acknowledged that food insecurity remains a serious national challenge, stressing that addressing it would require sustained interventions rather than expectations of immediate results.
He said the Federal Government would continue to rely on findings from the Cadre Harmonisé assessment to guide targeted interventions, support farmers and improve Nigerians’ access to safe, nutritious and affordable food.
The minister maintained that the assessment should be treated as a technical instrument for identifying vulnerable populations and guiding policy responses, rather than being turned into a political controversy.
