Worried about the escalating prices of food items, rising poverty level and other economic hardships in the country, the Senate is processing a bill for the alteration of the constitution to compel the Federal Government to take more proactive steps to guarantee food security for Nigerians.
Specifically, the bill which was named “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) Bill 2019 (SB 240)” seeks to ensure that the state directs its policy towards food security and makes access to food a fundamental human right in the constitution.
The bill, which is being sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abdullahi Adamu, specifically alters section 16 of the constitution by introducing a new section, 16A, which states that the state shall direct its policy towards ensuring that:
• the means of production, conservation, and distribution of foods are upgraded and improved upon on a continuous basis;
• strategies that guarantee food security of the nation, in terms of availability, accessibility, and affordability of food to the citizens, are initiated, undertaken and implemented; and
• adequate measures are provided to ensure that the food security of the nation is not compromised by any individual, group or institution, while actions that enhance the sustainability of food security are promoted.
The bill also amends Section 33 of the constitution by inserting immediately after Section 33 (c), a new Section 33 A and its side note to read “Right to Food”.
