The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), through the Africa Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF), has launched a wheat distribution project to support over 68,000 vulnerable households in Katsina State.
The project, which targets five local government areas (LGAs), comes in response to food insecurity exacerbated by ongoing banditry and violence in the region.
The wheat distribution was inaugurated in Kurfi LGA, assisting households in Kurfi, Batsari, Dutsin-ma, Safana, and Danmusa.
Dr. Hakeem Ajibola, the UN WFP representative, stated that the project aims to provide food assistance to vulnerable populations in Katsina, as well as in Zamfara and Sokoto States, as these areas have been significantly affected by the 2024 lean season.
Ajibola explained that the continued activities of armed bandits in the North-West, including attacks on farmers and farmlands, have crippled food cultivation in the region. “The activities of these bandits have resulted in widespread destruction of farmlands and the theft of thousands of cattle and sheep, leaving communities struggling to access food,” Ajibola said.
The result has been a significant rise in food prices, further worsening the food scarcity in the region.
Equal wheat distribution to families
Dr. Arome Salifu, the Executive Director of AYGF, emphasized the organization’s long-standing efforts in Katsina. “We have been actively providing support in Katsina for over three years across 16 local government areas. Each beneficiary is expected to receive three and a half measurements of wheat,” he said.
Salifu noted that even larger households, regardless of size, will receive equal shares to ensure food is distributed evenly among families.
The Ukrainian wheat support is directed at the most vulnerable populations living in high-risk, security front-line areas.
The Ukrainian wheat project, facilitated by the WFP and AYGF, aims to address this growing crisis by distributing a total of 1,963 metric tons of wheat to 68,389 beneficiaries. These include internally displaced persons (IDPs), women-led households, people with disabilities, and youths across the affected LGAs.
Maryam Sodangi, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dikko Radda, commended the efforts of both the WFP and AYGF. She highlighted that the wheat distribution aligns with the state government’s ongoing poverty alleviation programmes.
“This project will go a long way in reducing hunger in the state, and it also complements our agricultural initiatives to boost food production,” Sodangi said.
Similarly, the Madakin Katsina, Alhaji Hamza Abubakar-Duwan, representing the Emir of Katsina, expressed his appreciation for the support and urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the wheat in their households to ensure it meets their nutritional needs.
What you should know
- A few months back, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) received 25,000 tons of wheat from the Government of Ukraine as part of its humanitarian “Grain from Ukraine” initiative, launched by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to provide emergency food assistance to 1.3 million crisis-affected people in northeast Nigeria.
- Food prices in Nigeria have risen sharply, making basic meals inaccessible to many vulnerable families.
- The successful shipment of wheat was made possible through the joint efforts of several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and Sweden. These nations contributed to covering the transportation and distribution costs to ensure the wheat reaches the affected families in Nigeria.