Country Director of Actionaid Nigeria, Ene Obi, has lamented the impact of banditry on the country’s food security, adding that government should tackle it in order to solve the food crisis.

Obi made this disclosure in her remarks on Monday at the National Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the 2023 Agriculture Budget in collaboration with Oxfam, ONE, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, the ECOWAS Commission, which was monitored virtually by our correspondent.

She called for deliberate efforts from stakeholders, adding that there was a need for immediate action.

Obi said, “Insurgency, armed banditry and farmers, herders clashes as well as post-harvest losses. There is a need for an urgent rethink of our practice regarding food and nutrition security.

“The Stakeholders consultative meeting stems from facilitating conversations among key stakeholders.

“There is a lot that we desire from the government structure, from the leadership to make the place safe because we are having people not able to go to the farm, something needs to be done there has to be a renewed commitment from the government of Nigeria.”

Speaking about Actionaid’s intervention in eight states, Obi noted that its support was geared towards ensuring citizens’ participation in budgeting in order to achieve accountability especially result in Agriculture.

“This programme is to promote public investment in agriculture.

“It being implemented in eight states Bauchi, Gombe, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, Delta, Ebonyi and FCT. This meeting is towards opening the states for citizens’ participation in Agriculture policy and budget making.

“Budgeting is very important even more important is accountability,” Obi added.