The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has cautioned opposition politicians against turning the October 2026 Cadre Harmonisé food security assessment into political propaganda.
Kyari said the projection that 33.5 million Nigerians could face severe food and nutrition insecurity between June and August 2027 should not be interpreted as a consequence of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election or continuation in office.
The minister, in a statement issued on Monday, described attempts by some opposition voices to politicise the assessment as unfortunate, insisting that the report was a technical early-warning instrument rather than an election forecast.
He explained that the Cadre Harmonisé was developed by the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), in collaboration with regional and technical partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), FEWS NET, UNICEF and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
According to him, the assessment is designed to identify food and nutrition security risks and enable governments and development partners to respond promptly.
Kyari noted that the projected figure of 33.5 million represented a decline from the 34.8 million projected for the corresponding period in 2026.
He, however, explained that the assessment framework does not conduct retrospective evaluations after the projected period to establish whether the initial projections were accurate.
The minister identified climate change, inconsistent rainfall, prolonged dry spells and the Super El Niño phenomenon as some of the major factors contributing to food and nutrition insecurity, noting that these developments had disrupted weather patterns, planting seasons and agricultural production.
He maintained that the challenges were not consequences of the continuation of any particular political administration.
Kyari said the Federal Government, under President Tinubu, was responding to the identified risks through expanded access to fertilisers and other farm inputs, increased mechanisation, irrigation and dry-season farming, improved agricultural financing, investment in storage and processing facilities, and the promotion of climate-resilient agriculture.
He also highlighted improved security in several farming communities, which he said had enabled farmers who previously could not access their farmlands to return to cultivation.
The minister specifically cited Marte and Guzamala in Borno State, which were previously inaccessible to data collectors but have experienced improved stability, allowing the Cadre Harmonisé assessment to be conducted in the areas.
He further listed progress in fertiliser distribution and local blending, support for smallholder farmers, mechanisation partnerships, expansion of dry-season farming and strengthened agricultural financing through the Bank of Agriculture as part of the government’s interventions.
While acknowledging that the measures would not resolve all the country’s food security challenges overnight, Kyari described food insecurity as a longstanding structural problem that had developed over several years and predated the present administration.
He, however, insisted that agriculture had recorded significant progress since Tinubu assumed office.
‘As Minister, I accept the responsibility that comes with this challenge. When the data identifies a risk, our duty is to act on it, not to hide from it,’ he said.
The minister urged political actors to exercise caution and responsibility when interpreting food security data, warning against exploiting the difficulties faced by millions of Nigerians for political gains.
He said the government welcomed scrutiny and constructive criticism but maintained that there was a difference between legitimate political debate and the deliberate misrepresentation of technical assessments for electoral propaganda.
Kyari assured that the government would continue to use the findings of the Cadre Harmonisé assessment to strengthen agricultural interventions, support farmers, protect livelihoods and improve access to safe, nutritious and affordable food.