Medical experts in Lagos have called on the Federal Government to increase its efforts in combating hunger in the country by creating a favorable environment for farmers to succeed.

This will allow them to concentrate on producing accessible and high-quality food for the population. The experts made this plea during interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in honor of World Health Day 2024, which is celebrated each year on April 7th to recognize the establishment of the World Health Organisation in 1948.

The 2024 World Health Day themed, ‘My Health, My Right’, aims to highlight the importance of everyone having equal access to healthcare services, education, information, clean water, clean air, nutritious food, safe housing, good working and environmental conditions, and being free from discrimination, as chosen to promote a universal right to health.

Dr. Ramon Moronkola, a Consultant Cardiologist at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, emphasized the significance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by consuming balanced and adequate amounts of nutritious food for both children and adults to support growth and development.

He stated that access to a high-quality, nutritious diet is crucial for the well-being of the population, and emphasized the need for the government to work towards increasing people’s purchasing power so they can afford nutritious foods and maintain a balanced diet consistently. He also pointed out that the World Health Organization has highlighted access to good nutrition as an important aspect of World Health Day celebrations.

“The quantity and quality of food affect brain development as a child grows. A child that is deprived of protein can develop different kinds of malnutrition diseases like kwashiorkor.

“Even for adults, the quantity and quality of food to be taken are very important. If an individual takes a balanced diet that contains more fruits and vegetables in the right proportion, it helps to prevent diabetes, hypertension and even the development of cardiovascular diseases.

“It is very important to talk about this because the economic hardship we are seeing recently is really making it difficult for people to have access to good nutrition. People don’t have access to food because food is expensive.

“Is it someone that has not been able to afford the basic food, that will now be talking about ensuring consumption of fruits and vegetables?

“So, the government should be bordered about the low purchasing power of the people and seek ways to increase it so that people can afford good quality meals.
The expert urged the government to ensure that all support given to the farmers is properly utilised.

According to him, the government should ensure that farmers have access to good seeds and products that will yield abundant harvests in terms of quality and quantity of the produce.

He further stated that , “Government has a role to play in ensuring that food is available. The government will do this by ensuring that wherever the food is coming from, be it from the farm, it should be able to intervene.

“The health implication is that when people develop infections and diseases from abnormal food intake, the country will end up having a diseased population; which will invariably overwhelm our health system.”

Conversely, Dr. Livinus Abonyi, a Medical Imaging Scientist, expressed concerns about the obstacles to achieving food security in the country, citing terrorism and a poorly regulated economy as significant threats.

The lecturer at the Lagos State College of Medicine highlighted that the inadequate regulation of the economy has led to mismanagement of the Nigerian financial system. This, Abonyi emphasized, has caused the drastic devaluation and depreciation of the naira, consequently leading to rampant inflation.

“Major factors are terrorism and armed banditry. These factors are responsible for the sacking of most farmers from their farmlands, while others have been killed and can’t tell their stories.

“Another crucial factor is the ineffective management of the Nigerian financial system. The cost of transportation is currently a factor in the movement of goods and services in Nigeria.

“It, therefore, implies that movement of farm produce where farmers have weathered the storm to farm, against the threat of terrorists, kidnappers and bandits, has become a debilitating challenge,” he  bewailed .

Moreover, the expert also stated that the increased transportation expenses were the main reason for the rise in the costs of food items nationwide. He highlighted that resolving the issue of hunger and other difficulties in the country hinges on reinstating national security.

He argued that it makes no sense for the government to assist farmers with loans, fertilizer, or other agricultural inputs if the safety of their lives and properties while working on the farms cannot be guaranteed.

Abonyi added, “Security has to be ensured for the economy to thrive. Food production is a key component of the economy. If Nigeria is to depend more on importation of food products in order to feed the citizens, then, anarchy is considered inevitable.”