Hunger and Poverty Now National Security Threats — NSA, CDS Warn as Tinubu Launches Major Agricultural Reforms

Top Nigerian security officials have declared that hunger and poverty are no longer just social concerns, but urgent national security threats.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, made the declaration at the 14th National Security Seminar in Abuja, highlighting how economic deprivation now fuels violence, instability, and crime across the country.

The NSA, represented by Maj. Gen. P.P. Mala, emphasized that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is confronting the crisis through agricultural reforms, social investment programs, and security interventions, which aim to break the cycle of poverty and insecurity.

He stated:

“Poverty and hunger are not just humanitarian issues they are breeding grounds for insecurity and social breakdown. We must address them holistically to achieve sustainable peace.”

Gen. Musa, represented by Rear Admiral Ibrahim Shetimma, added that hunger has overtaken weapons as a primary threat to peace, citing disruptions in food-producing regions like Benue as evidence of how banditry and conflict are crippling Nigeria’s agricultural potential.

In a bold move to tackle food insecurity, President Tinubu launched the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, commissioning 2,000 tractors for nationwide deployment to empower smallholder farmers and boost local food production.

“Agriculture is the foundation of stability and prosperity,” the President said. “We are fulfilling our promise to ensure food security and create jobs for our people.”

Supported by a strategic partnership with Belarus, the program includes 2,000 tractors, mobile workshops, harvesters, and training facilities to modernize Nigeria’s agriculture sector.