In Kebbi State, where nearly two-third of household income is now swallowed by food costs, residents are skipping meals, bartering possessions, and watching their children go hungry as a 50kg bag of rice sells for a staggering ₦95,000–₦105,000—more than double the ₦60,000 quoted in official palliative announcements . The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) ranks Kebbi among Nigeria’s top three worst-hit states for food inflation (30.85%), but for struggling families, the crisis is beyond percentages: it’s about survival .
Markets in Collapse: "Even Rats Are Hungry
At Bunzam, Kebbi’s largest rice market, traders report unprecedented despair. "Customers faint from hunger while haggling over prices," said Abubakar Mohammed, a grain seller. Locally produced rice, once a point of pride for the agrarian state, now costs ₦98,000 per bag, while imported brands exceed ₦105,000—prices unthinkable six months ago .
Staple foods like millet (₦75,000/bag) and beans (₦85,000/bag) have followed the same deadly trajectory. "We’ve resorted to eating lafun (cassava grits) mixed with sand to fill our stomachs," confessed Hajiya Rukayya, a widow with seven children .
Government Abdication: Palliatives as Political Theater
Despite Governor Nasir Idris’s claims of distributing 6,000 bags of subsidized rice at ₦40,000 each, investigations reveal the scheme is a mirage. Less than 1,000 bags reached civil servants, while the rest vanished into political networks. "They gave 10 bags to our local government—population 200,000. It’s an insult," said Malam Ibrahim, a teachers’ union leader .
The federal government’s suspension of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme in 2024—a lifeline for rice farmers—worsened production collapses. Kebbi’s rice output has plummeted to a four-year low, with farmers like Ahmed Idris reducing cultivation from five hectares to two due to fertilizer costs tripling to ₦45,000 per bag .
Root Causes: A Perfect Storm of Policy Failures
Economists trace the catastrophe to four interlinked crises:
1. Currency Freefall: The naira’s crash to ₦1,600/$1 spiked import costs for farm machinery and seeds .
2. Insecurity: Bandits now control 40% of Kebbi’s farmlands, forcing abandonment of crops .
3. Climate Shocks: Erratic rainfall destroyed 30% of last season’s harvests .
4. Policy Vacuum: With politicians focused on 2027 elections, zero actionable plans exist to curb inflation .
Human Toll: We Are Eating Leaves
In rural Argungu, families scavenge for wild baobab leaves to cook as soup thickeners. At Sokoto border markets, teenage girls trade sex for cups of rice. "My daughter’s virginity was sold for three bowls of garri," wept a mother who asked for anonymity .
Medical clinics report spikes in kwashiorkor cases, while school dropout rates have reached 60% as children forage for food instead of attending classes .
Way Forward? "Only God Can Help Us Now
With the political class indifferent, residents rely on grim coping mechanisms:
- Urban Farming: Rooftop gardens for vegetables in Birnin Kebbi.
- Barter Systems: Trading clothes, jewelry, or labor for food.
- Cross-Border Smuggling: Risking arrests to buy cheaper grains from Niger Republic
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