The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), through the Africa Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF), has launched a wheat distribution project to support over 68,000 vulnerable households in Katsina State.
The project, which targets five local government areas (LGAs), comes in response to food insecurity exacerbated by ongoing banditry and violence in the region.
The wheat distribution was inaugurated in Kurfi LGA, assisting households in Kurfi, Batsari, Dutsin-ma, Safana, and Danmusa.
The UN WFP representative, Hakeem Ajibola, stated that the project aims to provide food assistance to vulnerable populations in Katsina, as well as in Zamfara and Sokoto States, as these areas have been significantly affected by the 2024 lean season.
Ajibola explained that the continued activities of armed bandits in the North-West, including attacks on farmers and farmlands, have crippled food cultivation in the region.
According to him, activities of these bandits have resulted in widespread destruction of farmlands and the theft of thousands of cattle and sheep, leaving communities struggling to access food.
The result has been a significant rise in food prices, further worsening the food scarcity in the region.
The Executive Director of AYGF, Arome Salifu, emphasized the organization’s long-standing efforts in Katsina. “We have been actively providing support in Katsina for over three years across 16 local government areas. Each beneficiary is expected to receive three and a half measurements of wheat,” he said.
Salifu noted that even larger households, regardless of size, will receive equal shares to ensure food is distributed evenly among families.
The Ukrainian wheat support is directed at the most vulnerable populations living in high-risk, security front-line areas.
The Ukrainian wheat project, facilitated by the WFP and AYGF, aims to address this growing crisis by distributing a total of 1,963 metric tons of wheat to 68,389 beneficiaries.
These include internally displaced persons (IDPs), women-led households, people with disabilities, and youths across the affected LGAs.
On her part, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dikko Radda, Maryam Sodangi, commended the efforts of both the WFP and AYGF. She highlighted that the wheat distribution aligns with the state government’s ongoing poverty alleviation programmes.
“She added that this project will go a long way in reducing hunger in the state, and it also complements our agricultural initiatives to boost food production.
Similarly, the Madakin Katsina, Alhaji Hamza Abubakar-Duwan, representing the Emir of Katsina, expressed his appreciation for the support and urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the wheat in their households to ensure it meets their nutritional needs.
