society
The Frayed Thread: How Geopolitical Strife, Climate Breakdown and Food Insecurity Threaten Our Common Future
The Frayed Thread: How Geopolitical Strife, Climate Breakdown and Food Insecurity Threaten Our Common Future.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com
“A blistering call to concerted action after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s G20 warning — because polite complacency is now a crime against our children.
When President Cyril Ramaphosa stood before the G20 and warned that “the threats facing humanity today; from escalating geopolitical tensions, global warming, pandemics, energy and food insecurity jeopardise our collective future,” he did not offer a polite diplomatic observation: he issued an alarm bell. That sentence is not a speech flourish. It is a diagnosis, a legal brief, and a moral indictment rolled into one. The world is being rent along multiple fault lines at once and those ruptures are interacting in ways that amplify suffering, undermine institutions, and make yesterday’s crises look quaint at the G20.
Let us be clear about what we are confronting. On the food front, the United Nations flagship analysis makes plain that hunger is not a vague, distant problem to be solved by feel-good charity; it is resurging, structural, and measurable. In 2024 some 673 million people (roughly 8 percent of humanity) experienced hunger, and roughly 2.3 billion people were moderately or severely food insecure; hundreds of millions more than before the pandemic. These figures are not abstractions: they map to children stunted by malnutrition, to economies hollowed out by lost productivity, and to political tinderboxes where food scarcity feeds conflict and displacement.
Worse still, acute food crises have ballooned. Independent reporting and the Global Report on Food Crises show that nearly 300 million people faced severe, acute food crises in 2024 — a horrifying figure driven by war, economic collapse, and weather extremes. Humanitarian agencies warn that tens of millions could slide from crisis into outright famine unless funding and ceasefires arrive. This is not a distant news brief; it is a rolling catastrophe unfolding in real time in places such as Sudan, Gaza, parts of the Sahel, Yemen and beyond.
Why should a South African-hosted G20 care? Because geopolitics, climate and food are not separate spheres: they are three cogs of a single machine that, if left unchecked, will grind civilization into anarchy. Geopolitical tensions (rivalries between great powers, regional wars, proxy conflicts and the weaponisation of aid and trade) disrupt supply chains, spike prices and close off humanitarian corridors. When fertilizers, fuel and transport are priced out of reach or blocked by sanctions and conflict, harvests fail, markets panic and millions can’t afford a daily meal. The World Food Programme has repeatedly warned that funding shortfalls compounded by geopolitical choices have placed some 58 million people at the brink of an extreme hunger crisis; a direct consequence of policy choices as much as weather.
Then there is climate, the slow, remorseless amplifier. Climate scientists and planetary-boundary researchers, warning in ever more urgent tones, tell us we are perilously close to tipping points: irreversible shifts like the dieback of the Amazon, the collapse of parts of the Antarctic ice sheet, or a breakdown in major ocean currents that sustain monsoons. Those shifts do not merely raise sea levels; they rewrite the map of agriculture, collapse freshwater systems, and trigger migration on an epic scale. Leading scientists warn that transgressing multiple planetary thresholds will undermine the Earth’s life-support systems — with catastrophic consequences for food production and human security.
Add inequality and economic policy to the mix and you have a perfect storm. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and other economists have framed the present era as an “INEQUALITY EMERGENCY” a structural fragility that leaves entire populations unable to absorb shocks. Inequality sharpens the effects of famine and heatwaves because poor households cannot diversify livelihoods, access credit, or relocate. It also fuels political polarization; angry, desperate populations are tinder for demagogues and violent actors who exploit scarcity to consolidate power. The G20 itself has been urged to confront inequality as a systemic risk to global stability.
These are not problems that can be outsourced to NGOs. They are governance failures writ large: failures of diplomacy when sanctions and saber-rattling choke trade; failures of climate stewardship when fossil-fuel interests stall transitions; failures of solidarity when humanitarian funding is traded for geopolitical advantage. António Guterres and other global leaders have been blunt: hunger is being weaponized, and climate inaction is an act of intergenerational theft. That language may sting, but it must sting — EUPHEMISMS have had their day.
So what must happen? First: treat these threats as STRATEGIC; not CHARITABLE. Food systems, energy systems and climate resilience belong at the core of national security strategies. That means stockpiles for emergencies, safeguarded humanitarian corridors, and trade instruments designed to keep essential goods moving even in times of diplomatic fracture. It means debt-relief tied to investments in resilient agriculture and social protections so that poor nations aren’t forced to choose between service payments and feeding their children.
Second: elevate CLIMATE ACTION from SLOGAN to STRICT POLICY. The technological breakthroughs in renewables and storage are real; but without large-scale finance, just transition programs for fossil-fuel dependent communities, and rapid removal of market distortions that favour carbon-intensive industries, the window to limit warming to survivable bounds will slam shut. Scientists implore immediate, profound cuts in emissions and an urgent scale-up of carbon removal where necessary; not as an OPTIONAL ADD-ON but as an OBLIGATION.
Third: rebuild international cooperation mechanisms. The G20 has a unique convening power; Ramaphosa’s hosting moment must be used to forge binding, accountable pledges: emergency funding guarantees for food crises, a MULTILATERAL COMPACT to DE-ESCALATE CONFLICTS that IMPEDE food flows, and an international panel on inequality and shared prosperity modeled on proposals backed by leading economists. These are politically hard, but the alternative is to watch fragile states fail and generate waves of displacement and conflict that will ripple back to every G20 capital.
Finally: put justice at the center. Climate and food insecurity are not blind forces; they fall hardest on those who contributed least to the problem. Any credible response must include transfer of FINANCE and TECHNOLOGY to the Global South, fair trade terms for agricultural producers, and mechanisms to protect smallholder farmers from market shocks and climate volatility.
This is not an essay in despair. It is a summons. Diplomacy can quiet guns; investment can rebuild soils and power grids; policy can protect the most vulnerable. But none of that will happen if we muddle along with incrementalism and hollow talk. President Ramaphosa’s line at the G20 is more than a sentence, it is a MANDATE for URGENCY. We have the evidence, the science, and the moral case. What we lack is the political courage to act at the scale required.
If not now, when? If not together, who? The future will not forgive the generation that chose complacency while its children starved and its lands burned. The time for excuses is over; the time for systemic, cooperative action has arrived. The G20, UNICEF, FAO, WFP, scientists and civil society must stop trading EUPHEMISMS for results. We must convert ALARM into ACCOUNTABILITY and PROMISES into IMMEDIATE, MEASURABLE INTERVENTIONS. Anything less will be a betrayal of the most basic compact between governments and the people they are meant to protect.
George Omagbemi Sylvester writes from South Africa. Published by saharaweeklyng.com
society
Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang Appointed Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)
Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang Appointed Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)*
January 29, 2026 – A prestigious appointment has been announced in the reign of Emperor Solomon Wining 1st, recognizing Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang as the *Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)*. The official certificate, designated STE.001-1 E, was presented to Rt Hon Inyang during a ceremonial investiture.
As Secretary General, Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang will *monitor and coordinate* the implementation of government policies and programmes, serve as an advisory institution to the Government, drive policy formulation, harmonization, and implementation, and oversee the activities of ministries, agencies, and departments.
The appointment was proclaimed by *Emperor Prof. Dr. Solomon Wining*, Emperor of the United Kingdom of Atlantics and Empire Worldwide, and co-signed by *Empress Prof. Dr. Sriwan Kingjun*, Empress of Attica Empire, under the auspices of the 5 Billions Humanitarian Projects Incorporated.
The ceremony underscores the commitment to strengthening governance and humanitarian initiatives within the UKA (Worldwide) jurisdiction, effective immediately in the reign of Emperor Solomon Wining 1st.
society
GENERAL BULAMA BIU MOURNS BOKO HARAM VICTIMS, CALLS FOR UNITY AND RENEWED EFFORTS FOR PEACE
GENERAL BULAMA BIU MOURNS BOKO HARAM VICTIMS, CALLS FOR UNITY AND RENEWED EFFORTS FOR PEACE
In a solemn message of condolence and resolve, Major General Abdulmalik Bulama Biu mni (Rtd), the Sarkin Yakin of Biu Emirate, has expressed profound grief over a recent deadly attack by Boko Haram insurgents on citizens at a work site. The attack, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives, has been condemned as a senseless and barbaric act of inhumanity.
The revered traditional and military leader extended his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families, the entire people of Biu Emirate, Borno State, and all patriotic Nigerians affected by the tragedy. He described the victims as “innocent, peaceful, hardworking and committed citizens,” whose lives were tragically cut short.
General Biu lamented that the assault represents “one too many” such ruthless attacks, occurring at a time when communities are already engaged in immense personal and collective sacrifices to support government efforts in rebuilding devastated infrastructure and restoring hope.
In his statement, he offered prayers for the departed, saying, “May Almighty Allah forgive their souls and grant them Aljannan Firdaus.” He further urged the living to be encouraged by and uphold the spirit of sacrifice demonstrated by the victims.
Emphasizing the need for collective action, the retired Major General called on all citizens to redouble their efforts in building a virile community that future generations can be proud of. He specifically commended the “silent efforts” of some patriotic leaders working behind the scenes to end the security menace and encouraged all well-meaning Nigerians to join the cause for a better society.
“Together we can surmount the troubles,” he asserted, concluding with a prayer for divine intervention: “May Allah guide and protect us, free us from this terrible situation and restore an enduring peace, security, unity and prosperity. Amin.”
The statement serves as both a poignant tribute to the fallen and a clarion call for national solidarity in the face of persistent security challenges.
society
When a Nation Outgrows Its Care
When a Nation Outgrows Its Care.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
“Population Pressure, Poverty and the Politics of Responsibility.”
Nigeria is not merely growing. It is swelling and faster than its institutions, faster than its conscience and far faster than its capacity to care for those it produces. In a world already straining under inequality, climate stress and fragile governance, Nigeria has become a living paradox: immense human potential multiplied without the social, economic or political scaffolding required to sustain it.
This is not a demographic miracle. It is a governance failure colliding with cultural denial.
Across the globe, societies facing economic hardship typically respond by slowing population growth through education, access to healthcare and deliberate family planning. Nigeria, by contrast, expands relentlessly, even as schools decay, hospitals collapse, power grids fail and public trust erodes. The contradiction is jarring: a country that struggles to FEED, EDUCATE and EMPLOY its people continues to produce more lives than it can dignify.
And when the inevitable consequences arrive (unemployment, crime, desperation, migration) the blame is conveniently outsourced to government alone, as though citizens bear no agency, no RESPONSIBILITY, no ROLE in shaping their collective destiny.
This evasion is at the heart of Nigeria’s crisis.
The political economist Amartya Sen has long said that development is not merely about economic growth but about expanding human capabilities. Nigeria does the opposite. It multiplies human beings while shrinking the space in which they can thrive. The result is a society where life is abundant but opportunity is scarce, where children are born into structural neglect rather than possibility.
Governments matter. Bad governments destroy nations. Though no government, however competent, can sustainably provide for a population expanding without restraint in an environment devoid of planning, infrastructure and accountability.
This is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable and therefore necessary.
For decades, Nigerian leaders have failed spectacularly. Public education has been HOLLOWED out. Healthcare has become a LUXURY. Electricity remains UNRELIABLE. Social safety nets are virtually NONEXISTENT. Public funds vanish into PRIVATE POCKETS with brazen regularity. These are not disputed facts; they are lived realities acknowledged by development agencies, scholars and ordinary citizens alike.
Yet amid this collapse, REPRODUCTION continues unchecked, often CELEBRATED rather than QUESTIONED. Large families persist not as a strategy of hope but as a cultural reflex, untouched by economic logic or future consequence. Children are brought into circumstances where hunger is normalized, schooling is uncertain and survival is a daily contest.
The philosopher Hannah Arendt warned that irresponsibility flourishes where accountability is diffused. In Nigeria, responsibility has become a political orphan. The state blames history, colonialism or global systems. Citizens blame the state. Meanwhile, children inherit the cost of this mutual abdication.
International development scholars consistently emphasize that education (especially of girls) correlates strongly with smaller, healthier families and better economic outcomes. Nigeria has ignored this lesson at scale. Where education is weak, fertility remains high. Where healthcare is absent, birth becomes both risk and ritual. Where women lack autonomy, choice disappears.
This is not destiny. It is policy failure reinforced by social silence.
Religious and cultural institutions, which wield enormous influence, have largely avoided confronting the economic implications of unchecked population growth. Instead, they often frame reproduction as a moral absolute divorced from material reality. The result is a dangerous romanticism that sanctifies birth while neglecting life after birth.
The Kenyan scholar Ali Mazrui once observed that Africa’s tragedy is not lack of resources but lack of responsibility in managing abundance. Nigeria exemplifies this truth painfully. Rich in land, talent and natural wealth, the country behaves as though human life is an infinite resource requiring no investment beyond conception.
This mindset is unsustainable.
Around the world, nations that escaped mass poverty did so by aligning population growth with state capacity. They invested in people before multiplying them. They built systems before expanding demand. They treated citizens not as numbers but as future contributors whose welfare was essential to national survival.
Nigeria has inverted this logic. It produces demand without supply, citizens without systems, lives without ladders.
To say this is not to absolve government. It is to indict both leadership and followership in equal measure. Governance is not a one-way transaction. A society that demands accountability must also practice responsibility. Family planning is not a foreign conspiracy. It is a survival strategy. Reproductive choice is not moral decay. It is economic realism.
The Nigerian sociologist Adebayo Olukoshi has argued that development fails where political elites and social norms reinforce each other’s worst tendencies. In Nigeria, elite corruption meets popular denial, and the outcome is demographic pressure without developmental intent.
This pressure manifests everywhere: overcrowded classrooms, collapsing cities, rising youth unemployment and a mass exodus of talent seeking dignity elsewhere. Migration is not a dream; it is an indictment. People leave not because they hate their country, but because their country has failed to imagine a future with them in it.
And still, the cycle continues.
At some point, honesty must replace sentiment. A nation cannot endlessly reproduce its way out of poverty. Children are not economic policy. Birth is not development. Hope without planning is cruelty.
True patriotism requires difficult conversations. It demands confronting cultural habits that no longer serve collective survival. It insists on shared responsibility between state and citizen. It recognizes that bringing life into the world carries obligations that extend far beyond celebration.
Nigeria does not lack people. It lacks care, coordination and courage. The courage to align birth with dignity, growth with governance and culture with reality.
Until that reckoning occurs, complaints will continue, governments will rotate and generations will be born into a system that apologizes for its failures while reproducing them.
A nation that refuses to plan its future cannot complain when the future overwhelms it.
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