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Hunger Hits Over 27 Million People as West Africa Faces it’s Worst Food Crises

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By Bashir Hassan Abubakar

West Africa is hit by its worst food crisis in a decade, with 27 million people going hungry. This number could rise to 38 million this June – a new historic level and already an increase by more than a third over last year- unless urgent action is taken.

This alert was contained in a press statement issued by eleven international organizations in response to new analyses of the March 2022 Cadre Harmonisé (CH), ahead of the virtual conference on the food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel and Lake Chad organized by the European Union and the Sahel and West Africa Club.

Over the past decade, far from abating, food crises have been increasing across the West African region, including in Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of people in need of emergency food assistance nearly quadrupled, from 7 to 27 million.

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“Cereal production in some parts of the Sahel has dropped by about a third compared to last year. Family food supplies are running out. Drought, floods, conflict, and the economic impacts of COVID-19 have forced millions of people off their land, pushing them to the brink” says Assalama Dawalack Sidi, Oxfam’s regional director for West and Central Africa

“The situation is forcing hundreds of thousands of people to move to different communities and to live with host families who are already living in difficult conditions themselves. There is not enough food, let alone food that is nutritious enough for children. We must help them urgently because their health, their future and even their lives are at risk,” said Philippe Adapoe, Save the Children’s director for West and Central Africa.

Malnutrition is steadily increasing in the Sahel. The United Nations estimated that 6.3 million children aged 6-59 months will be acutely malnourished this year – including more than 1.4 million children in the severe acute malnutrition phase – compared to 4.9 million acutely malnourished children in 2021.

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“I had almost no milk left so I gave my baby other food. He often refused to take it and lost weight. In addition he had diarrhea, which worsened his condition,” said Safiatou, a mother who had to flee her village because of the violence in Burkina Faso.

In addition to conflict and insecurity, pockets of drought and poor rainfall distribution have reduced communities’ food sources, especially in the Central Sahel. To make up for the gap, many families are selling their assets, jeopardizing their productive capacity and the future of their children. Young girls may be forced into early marriage and other forms of gender-based violence may increase as food becomes scarcer.

“The rains were scarce. There is no more food. With the lack of grazing, the sheep are getting thinner and this forces us to sell them at a loss. I used to have twelve sheep, but now I only have one left”, explains Ramata Sanfo, a herder from Burkina Faso. “I would like to have my cattle back so that I have enough money and my children can go back to school.”

Food prices have increased by 20-30 percent over the past five years in West Africa. While food reserves are dwindling in the Sahel, the crisis in Ukraine is making the situation dangerously worse. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, food prices could rise by another 20 percent worldwide, an unbearable increase for already fragile populations. In addition, the crisis is likely to cause a significant decrease in wheat availability for six West African countries that import at least 30 percent, and in some cases more than 50 percent, of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine.

Another likely effect of the crisis in Europe is a sharp drop in international aid to Africa. Many donors have already indicated that they may make cuts in their funding to Africa. For example, Denmark has announced that it will postpone part of its bilateral development assistance to Burkina Faso (50 per cent in 2022) and to Mali (40 percent in 2022) rather than fund the reception of people who have fled their homes in Ukraine with new money.

“There should be no competition between humanitarian crises,” says Mamadou Diop, regional representative of Action Against Hunger. “The Sahel crisis is one of the worst humanitarian crises on a global scale and, at the same time, one of the least funded. We fear that by redirecting humanitarian budgets to the Ukrainian crisis, we risk dangerously aggravating one crisis to respond to another.”

Humanitarian organizations are urging governments and donors not to repeat the failures of 2021, when only 48 percent of the humanitarian response plan in West Africa was funded. They must immediately close the $4 billion funding gap in the UN appeal for West Africa to save lives and ensure that these funds support age-, gender-, and disability-sensitive interventions. No one should be left behind.

“The conference on the Sahel crisis scheduled for tomorrow is a unique opportunity to mobilize the necessary emergency food and nutrition assistance and to prove that the lives of people in Africa are not worth less than those in Europe,” says Assalama Dawalack Sidi.

Our correspondent reports that the eleven international organizations participating in this press release are Oxfam, Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, CARE International, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), Tearfund, World Vision (WV), Handicap International – Humanité & Inclusion and Mercy Corps.”

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FG Obeys Court’s Order, Stops FAAC Allocation to Rivers State

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Senator Bola Ahmad Tinubu

 

The Nigerian government under President Bola Tinubu has confirmed that it has stopped the October monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue payment to Rivers State.

The development comes amid the ongoing face-off between Governor Simi Fubara and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike.

According to the Spokesperson of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, the decision to stop the payment was made in respect of a court order.

Mokwa disclosed that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) will respect the court order, which barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian government from disbursing monthly allocations to the Rivers State government.

His words: “What I got is that the October 2024 FAAC has not been distributed yet. However, the Federal Government will obey the court order on the matter of Rivers State allocation.

“We are going to follow due diligence as long as there is no contrary order. In case there is a contrary, the status will remain.”

He added, “The process of disbursement of the October 2024 monthly allocation is going.”

The court order was obtained by the factional Rivers State Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, who had filed an originating summons against the Rivers State Executive, under the leadership of Simi Fubara.

The Amaewhule faction had alleged that the Rivers State Executive was yet to comply with the order of a Federal High Court directing it to re-present the 2024 appropriation bill to the faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

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Kano Civil Society Forum Board of Trustees Lacks Authority to Suspend Members, Says Amb. Ibrahim Waiya

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The Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF) Board of Trustees (BOT) has no power to suspend or dismiss any bona fide member of the KCSF, according to Amb. Ibrahim Waiya, the Executive Director of Citizens for Development and Education (CDE).
Waiya’s statement comes in response to reports that the BOT, led by Prof. Mohammad Tabiu, has suspended him from the forum.

Waiya addressed the issue in a press statement, clarifying that the information circulating on social media and other platforms was misguided. “The misguided information in the press release, published on some media platforms, was said to have been signed by one Alhaji Hamisu Isa Sherifai, who paraded himself as the Secretary of the KCSF Board,” Waiya stated.

He emphasized that he does not typically engage in trivial disputes but felt compelled to set the record straight for the benefit of those misled by the media propaganda. “The only crime Amb. Ibrahim Waiya and his colleagues committed was their objection to a kangaroo election organized by BOT to elect the new leadership of KCSF,” Waiya explained. He noted that less than 50 out of 200 registered organizations participated in the election, which he described as lacking accountability, transparency, inclusiveness, and credibility.

Waiya criticized the BOT for not understanding the KCSF constitution and overstepping their boundaries. “KCSF BOT has no right to outrightly suspend any registered member, except on the recommendation of the Executive Council, after a thorough investigation of any offense,” he asserted. He added that the BOT should not assume the role of managing the day-to-day affairs of the organization.

Highlighting the importance of fair hearing, Waiya pointed out that the Nigerian constitution guarantees this right to every citizen. “It is clearly spelt out even in the Nigerian constitution that fair hearing is a fundamental right of every citizen,” he said. Waiya questioned how the BOT received a recommendation from the executive council, given that the BOT-anointed leadership is currently standing trial in a case challenging the validity of the election.

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Waiya appealed to all patriotic members of the KCSF, associates, partners, friends, and colleagues to remain calm and disregard the negative propaganda against him. “We must also note that Kano development, the North, and Nigeria are the primary priority of Amb. Ibrahim Waiya, not his reputation,” he stated. Waiya assured that the purported suspension letter holds no water and that the action will be challenged in court.

The statement was signed by Bahir A. Bashir, Media Aid to Amb. Ibrahim Waiya.

 

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Mutiu Adepoju Urges NFF to Retain Augustine Eguavoen as Super Eagles Coach

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Former international, Mutiu Adepoju, has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to keep Augustine Eguavoen in charge of the Super Eagles.

Eguavoen took charge of the Super Eagles in interim capacity in September.

The 59-year-old guided the team to qualify for AFCON 2025 with three wins, two draws and one defeat.

The NFF are reportedly still planning to hire a foreign coach for the three-time African champions.

Adepoju however said his former teammate should stay in charge of the team.

“I would rate him very well. Number one, we’ve qualified for the AFCON, which is one of the objectives,” he told Brila FM.

“I would say he has done well and is still doing well.

“They should keep encouraging him. I believe he’s getting things done, I will rate him high, let just keep supporting him.”

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