Over 33m Nigerians face acute food insecurity – Akpabio

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has disclosed that over 33 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity, stressing that the issue demands urgent legislative action. Akpabio, in his welcome remarks at the resumed plenary of the Senate on Tuesday in Abuja, also sympathised with Nigerians across the flood-ravaged states of Bayelsa, Sokoto, Zamfara and others. Daily Trust […]

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has disclosed that over 33 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity, stressing that the issue demands urgent legislative action.

Akpabio, in his welcome remarks at the resumed plenary of the Senate on Tuesday in Abuja, also sympathised with Nigerians across the flood-ravaged states of Bayelsa, Sokoto, Zamfara and others.

Daily Trust reports that Senators and members of the House of Representatives resumed plenary on Tuesday after their annual recess, which started on July 23, 2025.

Akpabio lamented that banners of terrorism and banditry still threaten the country, saying the citizens do not look up to the leadership for lamentations but action on the challenges confronting them.

“To every home afflicted by these disasters, insecurity, hunger and hardship, we extend to them the hand of fellowship and the prayer of comfort. We promise them that we shall not flinch from the duty of relief and redress for our people.

“Let us also heed the cry from the farms and markets. Over 33 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity — a crisis demanding urgent legislative attention to agriculture, rural roads, irrigation, and mechanization. Hunger cannot be defeated with words; it requires policy, budget and will,” Akpabio said.

“The cost of living weighs upon the family table like an iron chain. The flickering of our national grid leaves cities in darkness and commerce in paralysis. These trials summon us to service of uncommon urgency — and to partnership with the executive arm, that together we rewrite the story of our nation.

“We must legislate with boldness. We must press forward with reforms to steady our economy, draw investment, broaden the tax base, and nurture growth. We must strike hard at the enemies of ignorance and disease by strengthening education and healthcare. We must give the youths of Nigeria not only hope but opportunity,” he added.

Akpabio said the lawmakers must revisit the 1999 Constitution to make the country’s federal system stronger, strengthen governance, and make democracy more inclusive.

The Senate President said, “Our relations with the executive shall remain frank and firm – neither obsequious nor obstructive. Where policies raise our people, we shall lend our strength; where they imperil them, we shall speak on their behalf.

“We must continue to uphold the independence of this Senate, the dignity of this chamber, and the majesty of the Constitution which governs us all. To the citizens of Nigeria, we say this: we hear you. We know your expectations.

“You ask not for excuses but for results; not for noise but for substance. This Senate will remain open, accountable, and responsive. We will not shrink from scrutiny — indeed, we welcome it, for accountability is the lifeblood of democracy.”

Akpabio also commiserated with the families of the 12 forest guards slain in Oke-Ode, Kwara State, victims of boat tragedies in the country and stressed the urgent need for coordination between the federal and sub-national governments to mitigate these devastations before they become annual calamities.