Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called on the National
Assembly’s Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution to reinstate
the clause on the ‘right to food’ which was reportedly deleted in the
Constitution’s amendment Bill.
The Foundation in a recent statement by its Director, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, expressed disappointment at this move to remove the clause, noting that the right to adequate food is a long standing fundamental human right, universally accepted for years and thus should not be cherry-picked by our legislators.
Bassey added that “to remove the clause from the Bill is to reinforce the lack of regard for the citizenry and keep an open door for the purveyors of risky technologies
such as genetic modification and gene editing in agriculture as well as
policies designed against the small holder farmers who are the pillar of
Agriculture in the country”
Bassey said the amendment Bill which has been pending before the two chambers of the National Assembly seeks to introduce the words ‘right to food and ‘food
security’ in two chapters: chapter two and chapter four with the aim to
address the failure of agricultural policies to ensure food security in
Nigeria; given the philosophical context that there can be no food
security without the right to food.
“Reportedly, the Senate and House of Representatives Committee who are
currently reviewing the constitution rejected the clause on the ‘right
to food’ based on the premise that passing the Bill with the clause on
the ‘right to food’ as proposed could put more financial burden on the
government. The clause was also rejected on the ground that it “could be
misinterpreted by citizens and might lead to damaging consequences.”
Also, Coordinator, Food Sovereignty Programme
at Friends of the Earth Nigeria/Africa, Barr. Mariann Orovwuje, said a recognition of the right to food in the constitution will ensure accountability, transparency,
better governance and policies to provide a thriving environment for
optimum food productivity.
Moreover, Orovwuje stressed that the right to food is anchored on human
rights and is recognized in many international treaties and conventions
including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), The
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW) and Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UN
Resolution 23 on Food Security 1998 and the African Charter on Human
Right 1986.
Nigeria is signatory to these instruments and thus needs to strengthen
the legal framework for the realization of the right to food in the
country including by strengthening people’s access to and use of
resources and informing the public about their human rights;
strengthening their ability to participate in development processes and
decision making.
HOMEF’s Programme Manager and Project Lead on Hunger Politics, Joyce
Brown, noted that for the nation to address the problem of hunger,
having the ‘right to food’ enshrined in the constitution is an expedient
first step. “It will engender policy coherence and effectiveness such
that the actual needs of the people are addressed from a fundamental
rights approach.”
The Foundation further opinioned that the ecological think tank noted that “the ‘right to food’ is a key component of food sovereignty which beyond food security
sees to the right of food producers at every level along the food chain
to be in control of what they produce and how.
“Food sovereignty not only ensures access to food but makes sure that the food is healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate; that the food is produced with
ecologically sound means. This is the future of food and farming. It is
the direction we must go.”
HOMEF stressed that the right to adequate and safe food is a fundamental
human right and law makers should not legislate against this right in
the constitution amendment process. “To do otherwise sends the signal that the lawmakers wish to set Nigerians on the pathway of starvation
and neglect,” the foundation warned.
