Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Keynote Address, Godwin I. Emefiele Con

Economic and Financial Review

The theme for this year’s edition, “Food Security in Nigeria: Options for Policy” is apt and in tune with the existing realities of both the global and domestic economies, which have suffered heavily from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the theme could not have come at a better time than now when issues of insecurity, climate change, and COVID-19 related disruptions are challenging food production and supply, not only in Nigeria but also globally. As a matter of fact, food security is critical for national security, economic stability and sustainable development.

Welcome Address, Itohan M. Ogbomon-Paul

Economic and Financial Review

The theme of this year’s Seminar is tagged “Food Security in Nigeria: Options for policy”. The central focus of the Seminar is to discuss policy options for tackling the challenges of food insecurity, with the resultant outcomes on poverty reduction, job and wealth creation, as well as overall growth and development of the Nigerian economy. This year’s Seminar provides a unique opportunity for us all, because food holds the key to quality human existence. Indeed, food security is at the core of every nation’s development agenda. The quantity and quality of food available to the citizenry is correlated with the …

Food Security, Economic Growth And Price Stability Nexus And Conceptual Issues, Park O. Idisi

Economic and Financial Review

A strong argument that encourages analysing food security and food price stability issues is importance to economic well-being. Nigeria is one of the most food insecure countries and highly affected by all three drivers. For one, the country is vulnerable to price instability and successively hit by environmental disasters, that impact people’s livelihoods. Furthermore, its economy is thriving, but around 48.0 per cent of its population lives below the poverty line (World Bank, 2020; World Poverty Clock, 2020). In addition to that, since 2009 northeastern Nigeria is struck by insurgency. Essentially, sustainability in economic growth is dependent on achievement of …

An Overview Of Federal Government Policies And Programmes For Food Security In Nigeria, Rasaq Oyeleke

Economic and Financial Review

Nigeria has a vast land area of 91.1 million hectares supported by 1.3 million hectares of water bodies, 3.14 million hectares of irrigated land and a coastal line of over 800 km that is viable for virtually all aspects of agro-allied sector (crops, agro-forestry, fisheries, poultry and livestock). Presently, only 32 million out of the 81 million hectares of arable land is under cultivation and typical farm size ranges between 0.5 hectares and 4 hectares in the southern and northern parts of the country, respectively.To this end, policies are enacted as a deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and …

A Review Of Federal Government Support Policies And Programmes For Food Security: A Farmers Perspective, Muhammad A, Liman

Economic and Financial Review

To properly address the above topic, we need to examine how the farming community evolved over the years in Nigeria. We equally need to understand the impact of the support policies and programmes of the Federal Government, analyse them, identify which aspects of these policies and programmes require review, and then offer a way forward. We need to examine and define some terms and raise questions that will form the basis of our presentation. These include: Who is a farmer? What is food security? What are the current Federal Government support policies and programmes? How have these policies and programmes …

Socio-Economic And Environmental Issues: Implications For Food Security In Nigeria, Isaiah O. Olurinola, Evans Osabuohien

Economic and Financial Review

Socio-economic activities within the agricultural sector have witnessed significant changes in recent times. Two major factors account for this recent development. Available evidence shows that over the last four decades, environmental challenges (such as pollution, extreme weather, fire disaster and deforestation, among others) have been on the increase in Nigeria. This is complicated by a weak institutional framework to stem the tide (Egbetokun et al., 2018; 2020). Also, the information from Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) shows that the annual mean climatic conditions (that is rainfall and temperature) in Nigeria have witnessed huge variation (NIMET, 2020; Egbetokun et al., 2020), which …

Averting The Looming Food Crisis: A Clarion Call To Immediate And Near-Term Policy Action, Adeleye O. Oyebade Mni

Economic and Financial Review

Food is defined by Britannica, a web-based encyclopaedia, as any substance consisting of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and other nutrients used in the body of an organism to sustain growth and vital processes, and to furnish energy.8 In a similar definition, Wikipedia described food as any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for an organism; adding that food is usually of plant, animal or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients. The above definitions explain why food is viewed as an essential need of life. However, the production of food has been declining in recent times for some reasons, including the adverse …

Averting The Looming Food Crisis: A Clarion Call To Immediate And Near-Term Policy Action, Kabir Ibrahim Mnia, Fnim, Acc

Economic and Financial Review

This paper seeks to advise on how to tackle the skyrocketing prices of food being experienced today all over the nation and to get the Government to take urgent and proactive actions to avert the pain being experienced by the entire Nigerian people.

Averting The Looming Food Crisis: A Clarion Call To Immediate And Near-Term Policy Action, Gabriel S. Umoh

Economic and Financial Review

This paper reviews food crisis and its causes in Nigeria. It takes the position that food crisis has been simmering in Nigeria for the past couple of years and identifies policy instability, poor policy implementation and declining household purchasing power, among others as the major causes of food crisis. It recommends strong policy support and implementation, automatic indexation of wages and pensions and other measures to curb food crisis in the country.

Averting The Looming Food Crisis: A Clarion Call To Immediate And Near-Term Policy Action, Alwan A. Hassan

Economic and Financial Review

Nigeria suffers from food insecurity and poverty. It is estimated that the number of hungry people in Nigeria is over 53 million, which is about 25.0 per cent of the country’s total population of about 212 million. Also, about 43.0 per cent of Nigerians live below the poverty line. These statistics are worrisome, given that Nigeria, in the 1950s and 1960s, was not only self-sufficient in food production, but was also a net exporter of food to other regions of the continent (Ajayeoba, 2010). A nation is food secure when food is available and accessible in sufficient quantity and quality …

Special Remarks, Kingsley Obiora

Economic and Financial Review

The theme of this year’s Seminar, Food Security in Nigeria: Options for Policy, is apt, timely and consistent with the current efforts of this administration and the Bank in finding sustainable solutions to the food security challenges confronting us as a nation. As we all know, food is a basic need of every man and key to socio-economic stability. The ability of a country to feed its people, and perhaps extend the surplus to other countries, is one of the key indicators of good standing in the comity of nations. The World Food Summit (1996), defined food security as a …

Addressing Food Insecurity In Nigeria: Lessons From Jurisdictional Experiences, Biodun Adedipe

Economic and Financial Review

The challenge of food security transcends national or regional boundaries, and indeed became a global concern in 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were set. Goal 2 targets zero hunger by 2030, and that is, to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. While the entire world is not in shortage of food, there are wide disparities in food sufficiency and food security across nations, regions and continents. The SDG No. 2 is a 5x1 matrix of five targets and three actions as summarised in Table 1. The targets are five critical elements of …

Cbn Interventions And Food Security: Rationale, Experience And Challenges, Yusuf P. Yila

Economic and Financial Review

Prior to the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, conflicts, deteriorating socio-economic conditions, natural hazards, changing climatic conditions, prevalence of pest and diseases, etc., had led to reduced incomes, disrupted supply chains, and resulted in severe chronic and acute hunger across several countries, worldwide. These conditions were exacerbated by COVID-19 impacts, leading to severe and widespread increases in global food insecurity affecting vulnerable households in almost every country. These impacts expected to continue through 2021 and beyond as the Delta variant continues its spread (World Bank, 2021). Thus, the effects of the Pandemic on national food security systems becomes critical …

Socio-Economic And Environmental Issues: Implications For Food Security In Nigeria, Isaiah O. Olurinola, Evans Osabuohien

Economic and Financial Review

Nigeria has made many policies toward improving the contribution of the agricultural sector in the economy; however, there is a need to fine-tune some of the policies, particularly regarding food security.

There is a need for systemic intervention in the transformation of the agricultural sector including the modernisation/formalisation of the informal sector. T

Therefore, this paper sets out to, among others, investigate the state of food security in Nigeria, especially in relation to the current socio-economic and environmental issues affecting agricultural productivity, and then proffers some policy analytical models and recommendations for ensuring food security in the country.

Averting The Looming Food Crisis: A Clarion Call To Immediate And Near-Term Policy Action, Emmanuel A. Onwioduokit

Economic and Financial Review

Discussions on food security have gained traction in the recent past, especially in Africa and other developing economies. Several horrifying images of famished families, particularly around “The Horn of Africa” including Somalia, Ethiopia, and some parts of Kenya, projected globally in both the print and electronic media vividly illustrate the perils of food crises. In Nigeria, food constitute a substantial share of family budgets, particularly for low-income households. When prices of essential foods items increase poorer people suffer the adverse impacts more disproportionately. While clothing and shelter are basic necessities of life, food remains the most vital, given its centrality …

Pass-Through Effects Of Standing Facilities On Bank Interest Rates In Nigeria, Victor Ezeora Eleam, Chinyelu Gloria Ekwom, Chibueze Charles Ariolu, Chukwubuzo Jackson Umebali, Adewale Timothy Balogun

Economic and Financial Review

The paper investigates the pattern of pass-through effects of standing facilities rates on commercial bank retail interest rates in Nigeria. Monthly data spanning 2007:06 to 2019:12 and the Gregory-Hansen cointegration method that accounts for structural breaks are used in the empirical analysis. The adjustment parameters for the standing deposit and lending facilities are found to be significant, but with a low speed of adjustment. This provides some evidence on the nature of the interest rate channel of monetary policy transmission in the country. Furthermore, the study could not confirm asymmetry in the adjustment of retail rates to their long-run equilibria. …

Effect Of Public Debt On Private Investment In Nigeria: Evidence From An Asymmetric Dynamic Model, A. B. Abubakar, S. O. Mamman

Economic and Financial Review

This study examines the effect of public debt on private investment in Nigeria. The linear and non-linear ARDL models are employed to analyse the series spanning the period 1981 to 2018. The estimation results show that an increase in total debt, external debt, and debt service payment adversely affects private investment, with the effects being symmetric. On the other hand, the effect of domestic debt on private investment is found to be asymmetric. Although a negative shock in domestic debt greatly improves private investment, a positive shock leads to a meagre positive effect on private investment. This finding indicates that …

An Empirical Assessment Of Liquidity Management Instruments In Nigeria, Ezra U. Kure, Shettima T. Zimboh, Damilola O. Okedigba, Itoro U. Ituen

Economic and Financial Review

The paper assesses the response of monetary policy target variables to liquidity management instruments, using a Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) model. The analysis focuses on the short end of liquidity management and provides evidence of long-run asymmetric effects of liquidity management instruments, notably, the monetary policy rate (MPR) and excess reserves of banks on the inter-bank rate. The findings show that the impact of discretionary and autonomous liquidity factors remains symmetric. In addition, the policy target rate is more sensitive to a monetary contraction than accommodation.

Non-Tax Incentives And Agricultural Output In Nigeria, Elias A. Udeaja, Elijah O. Akanni, Emomotimi M. Question, Peter F. Offum, Titoluwa P. Eyinla

Economic and Financial Review

This study investigates the impact of non-tax incentives on agricultural sector output in Nigeria from 1981 to 2019, using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Model/Bounds test technique. The findings of this study show that non-tax incentives have a significant positive impact on agricultural sector output growth in the long-run; however, the effect was negative and statistically insignificant in the short run. On the other hand, government expenditure on agriculture was negative and significant on agricultural sector output growth in the short-run, while its long-run impact was also negative but not significant. Therefore, the study recommends targeted expansion of non-tax incentives to …

Budget Deficit And Economic Growth In Nigeria, A. D. Umaru, H. M. Aliero, M. Abubakar

Economic and Financial Review

This paper examines the relationship between budget deficit and economic growth in Nigeria, from a linear and non-linear perspective, using annual time series data from 1981 to 2019. The linear model, which involves the use of an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach, was compared with a non-linear analysis, using a threshold autoregressive (TAR) model. The ARDL analysis reveals that the growth of national output is positively driven by the persistent budget deficit in Nigeria. This was substantiated by the TAR model which indicates that though budget deficit drives economic growth in Nigeria, the positive relationship holds only if the deficit …

Measuring The Impact Of Loan-To-Deposit Ratio (Ldr) On Banks' Liquidity In Nigeria, A. O. Adenuga, J. A. Mohammed, C. V. Laniyan, A. A. Akintola, O. C Asuzu

Economic and Financial Review

The study measures the impact of loan to deposit ratio (LDR) on Banks' liquidity in Nigeria between 2000Q1 and 2019Q3. The paper applied the Factor-Augmented Vector Autoregressive (FAVAR-X) methodology for estimation and forecasting. The result suggests that an LDR of 70.0 per cent, which reduces Banks' liquidity from N187.95 billion in 2019Q4, through N153.09 billion in 2020Q2 to close at N135.15 billion in 2020Q4, may require cautious acceptance. Thus, increasing LDR beyond 70.0 per cent may impact Banks' liquidity negatively. Furthermore, a direct relationship is established between LDR and inflation. The findings conform to a priori expectations as higher LDRs …

Are Nigerian Banks Vulnerable To Oil Price Shocks? A Stress Test Approach, A. T. Odu, A. R Sanusi

Economic and Financial Review

This study empirically examines the vulnerability of the Nigerian banking industry to extreme, but plausible, adverse oil price shocks. A structural vector autoregressive (SVAR-X) is adopted to achieve this objective. The study period covers 2007Q1 – 2020Q4. The simulations assess the asset quality performance of DMBs, using the NPLs, under three scenarios (baseline, adverse and severely adverse). The findings suggest that the entire banking industry, as well as individual DMBs, are vulnerable to adverse oil price shocks. Accordingly, the study recommends, strict compliance with the single obligor limit, by commercial banks, to mitigate adverse effects of volatilities in crude oil …

Revisiting The Finance And Industrial Growth Nexus In Nigeria, E. A. Udeaja, E. O. Akanni, P. F. Offum

Economic and Financial Review

This paper re-examines the relationship between finance and industrial growth in Nigeria by including aggregate credit to the industrial sector and financial development index as additional variables into the industrial growth model. Using data spanning the last four decades, we apply the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to estimate an industrial growth model that accounts for the role of finance-related variables, while also controlling for the impact of electricity consumption and structural breaks. The key findings in the study are threefold. First, our results confirm that finance is a significant driver of industrial growth in Nigeria. Second, the …