Introduction: On assumption of office as the President of Nigeria on May 29, 2023, Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), this triggered hyperinflation in the economy, pushing many more people below poverty lines. Even the available food products are no longer affordable by the vulnerable in the country. This has pushed many families into food insecurity. It is against this background that this paper takes a critical look at “Food Security in the Post Fuel Subsidy Removal in Nigeria to proffer a solution to the problem of food security in the post fuel subsidy removal in the country. Method: The desk research method was used in gathering data for this study. It is a method of gathering information by analyzing and drawing conclusions from existing data and sources rather than from fieldwork or surveys. The data are sourced from libraries, websites, NBS reports, surveys, journals, newspapers, magazines and textbooks. The Entitlement Failure Approach was adopted as a framework for analysis. Result and Discussion: This work is a qualitative one and did not make use of fieldwork or surveys. Therefore, from the careful examination and analysis of existing literature, we observed that the removal of subsidy on PMS came without adequate preparation on how to mitigate the injury the sudden removal will cause in the economy. Existing literatures reveal that there is a positive relationship between fuel subsidy removal and food security in Nigeria. Hence the removal of subsidy on PMS made it extremely difficult for people to afford the necessities of life, especially the low-income population. Conclusion This paper has critically examined Food Security in the Post Fuel Subsidy Removal in Nigeria. It is the position of the paper that the removal of subsidies on PMS has complicated the food security problem in Nigeria. The finding of the paper shows that changes in the prices of food items as a result of the subsidy removal and lack of food safety-net programmes has created an affordability problem for the populace, especially the high proportion of those living under poverty lines, leading to food insecurity. The paper recommends among other things that the government must expedite action on fixing our four refineries to enable it to bring down the pump price of PMS, encourage farmers by way of subsidizing agricultural inputs and tackle insecurity head-on if it hopes to solve the challenge of food security any time soon.
Orjinta Hillary Ikechukwu