Far above the insurgency in the Niger Delta, the current global food shortage that is gradually taking its toll on Nigerians may well be the first test case for the new administration in the country. This was the view expressed in Lagos yesterday by United States Ambassador in Nigeria, Ms Robin Renee Sanders as she flagged off this year’s computer and telecoms equipment exhibition (CTO), at the exhibition hall of the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

Sanders, who lauded the efforts already put in by President Umaru Yar’ Adua to tackle the lingering crisis said that the United States of America was ready to help address the problem.

Said she, “ the food crisis is a global phenomenon and every government should be concerned. The crisis is perhaps the greatest challenge to have confronted the current government in Nigeria. We (America) are already engaging the Nigerian government officials on the food crisis issue and I am optimistic that the crisis would have minimal effect on the country.”

Ambassador Sanders also reiterated the willingness of her government to partner with the Lagos state government to develop the state’s economy, which she said remains the powerhouse of the West African sub-region.