Reforms emerge periodically across different countries to address pressing problems or anticipated future challenges. One such effort in Nigeria was Operation Feed the Nation (OFN).

Operation Feed the Nation was designed to tackle hunger, reduce dependence on food imports, and mobilise citizens, including students, workers, and rural communities, to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.

In 2025, the issues OFN sought to resolve persist. The Nigerian economy is characterised by rising inflation, climate-related shocks, and widespread food insecurity, which have impacted the economy and the nation’s ability to provide its people with adequate food.

Operation Feed the Nation and Its Impact

Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) was launched in 1976 by the Federal Military Government of Nigeria under the leadership of General Olusegun Obasanjo. OFN was established in response to the agricultural sector’s inability to meet Nigeria’s food needs. 

OFN was a nationwide agricultural campaign directed at increasing food production, reducing reliance on imports, and mobilising Nigerians, including urban dwellers, civil servants, students, and military personnel, to participate in farming actively.

The discovery of oil, beginning with the first commercial well at Oloibiri in 1956, had transformed Nigeria’s economic and political dynamics. British interests initially drove oil exploration, and it accelerated after independence in 1960 as international oil companies expanded their production. While this generated revenue, it also contributed to a national food crisis: agricultural output declined as focus shifted away from farming, and the effects of a severe drought further worsened food insecurity.

OFN strategies relied on state-led interventions and public mobilisation. The government distributed subsidised fertilisers and other inputs, introduced a guaranteed minimum price for staple crops such as maize and yams, and created agricultural estates where farmers could lease plots. A nationwide media campaign promoted farming as a patriotic duty, encouraging even urban residents to cultivate small plots.

Despite these efforts, results were mixed. OFN successfully raised awareness of the food crisis and temporarily boosted agricultural activity, but it failed to achieve long-term food self-sufficiency. 

Years after its launch, food production was still trailing behind population growth, leading to the program’s eventual replacement by the “Green Revolution” initiative under President Shehu Shagari in 1980. Nonetheless, OFN’s legacy continues to influence agricultural policies, emphasising public participation and youth engagement in farming.

Nigeria’s Food Crisis in 2026

A food crisis is more than temporary hunger; it occurs when a large population faces challenges in accessing sufficient, safe, nutritious, and affordable food to meet their daily needs. A food crisis is a situation where food availability, access, or utilisation is severely disrupted, leading to widespread malnutrition, suffering, or even the risk of famine.

According to projections by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), over 30 million Nigerians live at risk of acute food and nutrition insecurity. The crisis is particularly devastating in the North-East and North-West, where conflict, banditry, and mass displacement have disrupted farming and markets.

Food insecurity is worsened by economic hardship. Inflation and the steady depreciation of the naira have reduced purchasing power, leaving basic staples like rice, maize, and beans unaffordable for many households.

Thus, the World Food Programme (WFP) emphasises that Nigeria’s food crisis is not only a humanitarian emergency but also a national security issue, as hunger drives instability and displacement. Addressing it requires both short-term food aid and long-term agricultural resilience.

Constraints to Sustainable Food Security

Nutrition Risks: Malnutrition is alarmingly high, especially among children and vulnerable groups. UNICEF reports that millions of Nigerian children suffer from wasting (low weight for height) and stunting (low height for age). Nigeria has the second-highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five. Without sustained interventions, Nigeria risks raising a “lost generation” of children unable to achieve complete physical and cognitive development. This highlights the need for not just food, but nutrition-sensitive policies in health, agriculture, and social protection.

Floods and Climate Impacts: Climate change is a significant factor in determining food security. Recent patterns, including erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and severe flooding, have significantly impacted agricultural production. 

Farmers now face unpredictable planting seasons and reduced yields, which undermines both food availability and their livelihoods. With extreme weather events becoming increasingly frequent, climate adaptation has become a pressing policy priority.

Has OFN Worked in the Past and Why Didn’t It Last?

While OFN demonstrated and enhanced cultural awareness and engaged many new farmers, its long-term effectiveness was limited as it was unable to sustain increased food production as a result of several weaknesses, such as:

1. Institutional weakness and poor federal-state coordination: Implementation was majorly centralised and disconnected from smallholder farmers, who constitute the majority of producers in Nigeria.
2. Corruption and inefficiencies in the distribution of farming inputs: The benefits of subsidised inputs and loans were captured by political elites and large-scale farmers rather than the rural poor.
3. Lack of physical infrastructure: Sustainable infrastructures, including irrigation, storage, and distribution networks, are necessary to support sustainable food production.
4. Inadequate technical and extension support for smallholder farmers: The program was unable to provide consistent training and resources to improve productivity.
5. Shift in government focus: OFN was later replaced by more commercial, mechanised approaches through the Green Revolution, further limiting its continuity.
6. Propagandistic orientation: Much of the program was symbolic, with actions such as military officials posing with hoes on billboards, rather than addressing fundamental structural issues.
7. Lack of a sustainable framework: There was no long-term system in place to provide credit, improve infrastructure (such as roads and storage facilities), or ensure consistent market access.
8. Reliance on short-term political will: The program depended more on initial momentum than on institutionalised strategy, causing it to fade over time.

What Are the New Initiatives Echoing OFN?

Today, new agricultural initiatives in Nigeria echo the spirit of OFN’s national mobilisation but with a more modern, technology-driven approach. 

1. The Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme: It is an initiative of the Nigerian government, led by President Bola Tinubu, aimed at modernising the country’s agricultural sector. Its main goal is to combat food insecurity and boost the economy by introducing modern farm equipment. The programme has deployed tractors and implements to farmers through a service-provider model.
2. Recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture and the Establishment of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF): These two measures indicate a renewed commitment to direct intervention and financing for the sector, ensuring that farmers and agribusinesses have improved access to credit facilities and development funds.
3. The National Youth Manifesto in Agriculture: This policy positions young people as architects and drivers of agricultural transformation. Emphasising youth inclusion, it creates pathways for innovation, entrepreneurship, and the future of food systems.
4. Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ): SAPZ is designed to integrate smallholder farmers into a more profitable, value-added agricultural chain. These zones move beyond basic farming to encourage agro-processing. They leverage public-private partnerships to strengthen value chains and tackle structural bottlenecks.
5. The National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism (NAPM): NAPM was launched in 2025 to improve agricultural productivity, stabilise food prices, and coordinate efforts across federal and state governments through data-driven policies and public-private partnerships.
6. The Green Imperative Project (GIP): A $1.1 billion Nigeria-Brazil partnership to modernise 774 farms with advanced technologies, increase jobs, and productivity nationwide.
7. The “Earn From the Soil” Export Initiative: This initiative was formulated to enhance Nigeria’s agricultural export profile, diversify the economy, and reduce oil dependency by promoting agriculture as a foreign exchange earner.
8. The partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is another strategy to support 500,000 farmers in 2025 through efficient input delivery and improved market access. This partnership demonstrates Nigeria’s strategy of international collaboration to strengthen domestic agriculture.
9. Agricultural Sector Food Security and Nutrition Strategy (2016–2025)
   An ongoing effort that emphasises nutrition-sensitive agricultural transformation, highlighting the link between farming practices and food security outcomes.
   

Can OFN-Style Mobilisation Solve Today’s Challenges?

While an OFN-style mobilisation is necessary to re-centre food security as a national priority, a simple revival of the original program would be insufficient. The challenges of 2025, deep-seated insecurity, climate change, and economic volatility require a more nuanced and resilient response than a single, state-driven campaign can provide. 

However, the core principle of OFN, the call for all citizens to participate in food production, remains a powerful and relevant message. A modern OFN would not just be about planting crops; it would be about creating a comprehensive national strategy that integrates technology, finance, and climate-smart practices.

What Should Policymakers Do Now?

For policymakers, the path forward requires a multi-pronged approach that learns from OFN’s failures and builds on the strengths of new initiatives. Immediate action should focus on a humanitarian response to address the current hunger crisis, including expanding cash transfer programs and emergency nutrition support. In the medium term, a concerted effort must be made to build resilience. This includes investing in climate-smart agricultural practices, improving food storage infrastructure to minimise post-harvest losses, and developing early warning systems for floods and droughts.

From a long-term perspective, policymakers must decentralise food security governance, empowering local governments and communities with the resources and autonomy to manage their own agricultural programs. This requires moving beyond a top-down model to a more collaborative, bottom-up approach that addresses the unique needs of each region. Finally, any agrarian policy must be transparent and accountable, ensuring that funding and resources reach the smallholder farmers and communities they are intended to help.

The way forward for Nigeria’s food security is not a return to the past but a strategic evolution of its principles. The legacy of “Operation Feed the Nation” serves as a powerful reminder of what is possible with a mobilised citizenry and strong political will. 

By integrating this spirit of national purpose with a modern, data-driven, and decentralised approach, Nigeria can build a food system that is not only self-sufficient but also resilient, equitable, and sustainable for generations to come. The current challenges are immense, but with decisive and well-targeted policies, the nation can turn the tide on its food crisis.