Hungry and Angry Society: Implications for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Hunger is a physiological need, but the production and consumption of adequate and balanced food is a function of social forces. At every point, social, political, and economic processes intervene, for better or (more common) for worse. Food is one fundamental need of human beings for survival. But in Nigeria there is widespread food shortage and hunger. Development scholars have put forward reasons why poverty, hunger persists in the country, from the platitudes about population growth, inadequate implementation of agricultural policies, and neglect of agriculture, bad leadership, corruption, and the issue of distribution. Nigeria is richly blessed with arable land and citizens eager to unlock its food potentials. Unfortunately, this is far from being realized as the country depends on foreign countries for food, a situation that is tragic and sad. She spends about $10 billion a year importing food and agricultural products, the majority of which are wheat, rice, poultry, fish, and consumer-oriented foods. The pressure on the exchange rate results in devaluation-triggered inflation and food costs that fly up beyond the grasp of people at the bottom of the ladder as it is now is one of the negative repercussions of high food importation bills. Examining the effects of hunger is one of this paper’s key concerns and goals, and anger crisis for achieving sustainable development in the country using the Frustration-Aggression Theory, The Relative Deprivation and Political Economy Approach as guide.