Mahdi Shehu Warns: “Nigeria’s Hunger Crisis Could Make Somalia, Sudan Look Like Child’s Play

Human rights activist and public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has sounded a stark warning over Nigeria’s worsening hunger crisis, blaming decades of failed leadership for pushing millions into starvation and malnutrition.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

In a statement shared via his official handle on Monday, titled “Visible Hunger in Nigeria vs the Pretenders”, Shehu said hunger had become a grim reality for millions, linking the crisis directly to corruption, greed, and poor governance.

“There is a direct, indirect, tangential and linear relationship between bad leaders, poor governance and greed with poverty and hunger,” he wrote.

Shehu argued that since 1999, “incompetent, shallow-minded, and greedy leadership” had condemned millions of Nigerians to irreversible economic hardship, leading to visible hunger, starvation, and even death.

Hunger Visible Across the Nation

The activist lamented that families across Nigeria — men, women, and children — can no longer afford daily meals, while battling poor sanitation and lack of healthcare.

“If the epidemic of hunger finally explodes, Somalia and Sudan’s hunger crisis will be child’s play,” Shehu warned.

He accused political leaders of living in denial, stressing that their pretense would not shield them from the consequences when hunger boils over.

“Active politicians and office holders pretending away hunger will have themselves to blame when the inevitable happens… It will be survival of the fittest, and devil take the hindmost,” he declared.

“No Nigerian Should Go to Bed Hungry”

Echoing Shehu’s concerns, African Affairs and Digital Governance commentator, Ugo Inyama, described hunger in Nigeria as a national emergency. From displacement camps in Borno to struggling households in Lagos, millions are unable to access adequate food — not because it is unavailable, but because it has become unaffordable.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, food inflation surged to 45.4% in June 2025 — the highest in nearly two decades. A national household survey further revealed that over 63% of families now consume less than their required daily intake, cutting across rural and urban populations, including civil servants and small business owners.

Inyama, writing in The Tribune, urged the government to lead a coordinated national response, backed by the private sector, civil society, and international partners.

“With the right interventions, Nigeria can turn this crisis around. No Nigerian should have to sleep hungry — not a single one,” he cautioned.