National Assembly to Convene Security Summit as Insecurity Threatens Nigeria’s Food Systems

In response to the escalating insecurity that continues to endanger lives, displace rural communities, and disrupt food production across the country, the National Assembly has announced plans to convene a national security summit aimed at tackling the crisis head-on.

The development was revealed in Lagos by Senator Garba Maidoki of the Senate Committee on Agricultural Production and Rural Development during a Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting on the 2026 Agriculture Budget. The meeting, organized by ActionAid Nigeria, the German International Cooperation (GIZ), and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, focused on aligning agricultural budgeting with national and regional food security priorities.

Senator Maidoki expressed grave concern over the rising wave of insecurity that has not only threatened livelihoods but is also severely undermining Nigeria’s ability to ensure food and nutritional security. “If not urgently addressed, this crisis will continue to push millions into hunger and poverty,” he warned.

To respond, the National Assembly will host a national security summit in Lagos in the coming months. The summit will bring together security agencies, lawmakers, and citizens in a series of public hearings across all six geopolitical zones. Insights gathered will inform the development of a new national security framework—one that prioritizes the safety of farmers and the protection of food-producing communities.

Maidoki stressed the inextricable link between security and food systems. “The agricultural sector cannot thrive in an environment of fear and violence. Our food security depends on restoring peace to our farmlands and rural areas.”

The meeting also spotlighted critical agricultural frameworks, including the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) and the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), assessing how they align with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and regional development goals.

Participants reviewed Nigeria’s preparations for the upcoming biennial report to the African Union, as required under the Kampala Declaration, and emphasized the importance of integrating peacebuilding into agriculture and food security planning.

As the country looks ahead to 2026, the message was clear: rebuilding Nigeria’s food systems requires more than money—it demands urgent, coordinated action to end the insecurity stifling rural productivity and threatening the nation’s future.