Hunger and Poverty Now Major Security Threats, Warn NSA and Defence Chief

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, have jointly declared that hunger and poverty are no longer merely social challenges but have escalated into significant threats to national security. Their stark warning was issued on Monday during the 14th National Security Seminar in Abuja, themed “Combating Hunger and Poverty for Sustainable Peace and Development in Nigeria,” organized by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC).

Represented by Major General P.P. Mala, Director of Defence Affairs at the Office of the NSA, Ribadu emphasized the cyclical relationship between economic hardship and instability. “Poverty leads to insecurity, and insecurity in turn worsens poverty,” he stated, explaining how these issues drive a cycle of crime and social fragmentation. He highlighted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is aggressively addressing this crisis through prioritized agricultural reforms, social investment programmes, and enhanced security operations to break the cycle. Despite these efforts, Ribadu acknowledged that persistent challenges like unemployment, hunger, and youth disenfranchisement demand long-term, strategic responses.

Echoing this concern, General Musa, represented by Rear Admiral Ibrahim Shettima, Chief of Defence Training, asserted that the definition of insecurity now extends beyond conventional weaponry to include economic deprivation and food scarcity. “Hunger and poverty are now national security threats,” Musa declared. He cited the situation in Benue State, once Nigeria’s food basket, as a clear example where banditry, displacement, and farmer-herder conflicts have devastated agricultural productivity, leading to rising food prices, mass displacement, and internal instability.

The CDS called for urgent, grassroots investment in agricultural development and urged stakeholders to re-position farming as a viable and respected profession. He stressed that without productive rural communities, Nigeria’s food security and national unity remain at risk.

Also speaking at the seminar, Defence Minister Alhaji Mohammad Badaru Abubakar underscored that sustainable peace is unattainable without addressing the socio-economic vulnerabilities that fuel unrest and radicalization. He advocated for a “human-centred” approach to national security, stressing that military solutions alone are insufficient, and a “whole-of-society” effort is required to tackle the root causes of violence, unemployment, hunger, and exclusion through coordinated, long-term development.

The seminar convened top military, intelligence, and policy stakeholders to deliberate on sustainable responses to Nigeria’s deepening socio-economic crisis, reinforcing the government’s commitment to a multi-faceted approach to national security.