The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security called for divine intervention amid Nigeria’s deepening food insecurity crisis.
However, Naija News reports that the Ministry abruptly suspended the spiritual initiative just days before it was scheduled to begin.
An internal circular, dated June 11, 2025, and obtained by The Whistler, directed staff of the ministry to observe a three-day fasting and prayer programme on June 16, 23, and 30.
The notice, signed by the Director of Human Resource Management, Mrs. Adedayo Modupe, invited all staff to a “solemn prayer session for God’s guidance and success” in supporting the federal government’s food security efforts.
“This is to invite all Staff of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to a solemn prayer session for God’s guidance and success in supporting the Government’s efforts to achieve food security,” the memo read.
“Theme: Divine Intervention for Protection and National Development.
Please kindly come fasting on Mondays 16th, 23rd and 30th June 2025.”
The prayer sessions were to be held at 12:00 p.m. in Conference Hall B of the ministry’s headquarters in Area 11, Abuja.
The directive was issued to all levels of ministry personnel, including directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, and value chain desk officers.
However, when The Whistler reached out to the Acting Director of Information, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, on Friday, he confirmed that the exercise had been suspended indefinitely, though no reason was given for the reversal.
“I am directed to inform all staff that the prayer sessions scheduled to commence on Monday have been postponed till further notice.
“All staff should kindly take note,” the follow-up notice read.
Rising Hunger and Worsening Outlook
The spiritual move comes amid dire warnings from the World Food Programme (WFP), which projects that 33.1 million Nigerians will face food insecurity by 2025.
According to the WFP, the number of people experiencing emergency levels (Phase 4) of food insecurity is expected to rise by 80%, from one million in 2024 to 1.8 million in 2025.
“Although no populations are classified as Catastrophe (Phase 5), those in Emergency (Phase 4) are expected to increase significantly,” the WFP said.
Trend analysis for the Northeast—particularly Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states—showed persistently high levels of food insecurity since 2018. The crisis has been compounded by insecurity, making farming nearly impossible in many communities.
“Restoring peace in the northeast is critical for us to build pathways to production and achieve the northeast’s potential as the food basket of the country,” said David Stevenson, WFP Country Director.
The report also warned of a looming malnutrition emergency, particularly for 5.4 million children and 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women at risk in six states, including Sokoto, Katsina, and Zamfara in the Northwest.
Of those, 1.8 million children could suffer Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and would need immediate medical nutrition therapy.
“Children are at the centre of the food insecurity crisis and face irreversible consequences – both physical and cognitive, and potentially even death,” said Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Country Representative.
“It is our moral imperative to ensure that the right of every child to adequate food and nutrition is upheld.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also weighed in, with its representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dominique Koffy Kouacou, affirming the agency’s commitment to long-term solutions.
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