The world is run by numbers. With numbers, we measure,
rank and position. In many parts of the world, numbers decide elections,
determine the distribution of economic resources and serve as a yardstick for measuring
progress. Understanding numbers, therefore, is an important way to appreciate
issues.
Today, there is a number for nearly everything. The most impressive ones are those that show trends.
The World Bank is big on numbers. The numbers from its
research influence policies in countless countries and organisations. It
estimates that almost 10 per cent of the world's population, or 734 million
people, are poor. That is, about 734 million people in the world live on less
than $1.90 per day. The sad part is that a full half of the total number of
poor people in the world live in just five countries.
Nigeria is one of those five countries. There are more
than 82 million poor people in Nigeria, according to the National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS).
Numbers paint a picture. This is true. It is, however,
not always a pretty picture. Numbers also tell stories. But it is not always
the whole story. As Ron DeLegge II noted in Gents with No Cents,
“99 per cent of all statistics only tell 49 per cent of the story.”
Take the number 800 million. This number can mean
anything or mean nothing. But for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
of the United Nations, it is the number of people worldwide who are hungry and
suffer from nutrient deficiencies. The FAO also estimates that approximately
one billion people have inadequate protein intake.
The Nigeria Protein Deficiency Report supports
this assertion. The report indicates that the protein intake of Nigerians is
generally quite insufficient.
Sometimes, numbers are not just figures. They are people.
They are a catalogue of the world’s most persistence problems. Problems that
must be resolved to improve life for all.
Experts insist that the world is also going to be saved
by numbers. If this is true, then 17 must be the figure. The reason is not
far-fetched – 17 represents the number of Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).
The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals designed as
a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all".
Set in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, the SDGs are intended to be
achieved by the year 2030.
The goals are meant to address the global challenges,
including those related to poverty, nutrition, inequality, climate change,
environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all
interconnected, and, to leave no one behind, they all must be achieved. The
period 2020 to 2030 has therefore been declared as the Decade of Action.
Specifically, SDG 2 seeks to end hunger, achieve food
security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. The target
of SDG 2 is zero hunger.
To achieve zero hunger calls for genuine commitment. It
requires a number of stakeholders, across the public and private sectors, to
find a reason to work together for the common good. While progress had been
made in this space, the coronavirus pandemic has greatly heightened the
challenges, especially for the most vulnerable.
The pandemic is just one of many challenges. The
population growth rate is another. The world population is today put at 7.8
billion but it is projected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050
and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to a United Nations report.
The global population growth compounds the challenge of
curtailing hunger and malnutrition. It dictates that efforts be intensified to
achieve zero hunger.
Experts rightly point out that the impact of hunger is
far-reaching. Hunger produces malnutrition, stunted growth, wasting, babies
born prematurely, low birth weights, and in severe cases, infant and child
mortalities. And this is only on the physical side.
Hunger also causes the economy to suffer. The cost of
illness and attendant healthcare; the value of poor educational outcomes and
subsequent lower lifetime earnings linked to hunger; and the price of reduced
labour productivity precipitated by absenteeism are huge and
incalculable.
Whatever these numbers are, they represent waste,
avoidable waste. To end this waste, the quest to achieve zero hunger must be
pursued relentlessly.
Of course, the problem is not just the numbers. It is
what they represent. So, beyond the numbers, action is required.
Now, when it comes to flipping the numbers, the
government has an important role to play. In many ways, it must take the lead.
To start with, it must take another look at its policies. It must seek to
actively implement policies that truly empower citizens, by boosting the
capacity to earn, so that people can live meaningful and productive
lives.
To reduce the number of hungry people in Nigeria, and
indeed across the world, citizen empowerment is key. As the Nigeria
Protein Deficiency Report revealed
affordability and availability
are the key factors in food choice among Nigerians. The report, which shed
light on food consumption patterns among Nigerians, fingers high cost as a
major disincentive for the consumption of most nutrient-rich protein food in
the country.
Furthermore, the government must support and indeed
promote sustainable farming practices to achieve food security.
Next, there has to be a deliberate, conscious intensive
nationwide campaign to create awareness about the need to improve access to
nutritious food. This would involve orientation on the advantages of eating
right, with nutrient-rich foods held up as essential for a healthier life.
Protein Challenge,
a protein-pull media campaign supported by the United States Soybean Export
Council (USSEC) and other partners, is working in that space to create
awareness about the prevalence, status and impact of protein deficiency in
Nigeria. Action Against Hunger and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
(GAIN) and other similar organisations are also here represented.
Eliminating hunger in Nigeria would mean successfully
flipping the numbers. It will signify a huge step towards improved living
condition for the citizens.
To achieve the SDG 2, we must look beyond the numbers.
*Contributed by Elvis Eromosele, a Corporate Communication professional and public affairs analyst lives in Lagos.
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