Key stakeholders in Nigeria’s agriculture and food production sectors have proposed several crucial steps the country must take urgently to tackle the growing food insecurity crisis.
Speaking at the 22nd Daily Trust Dialogue with the theme “Food Security: Availability or Affordability,” they highlighted innovative solutions and legislative measures needed to transform the sector.
The chairman of the event, Rev. Fr. Godfrey Nzamujo, the founder and Director-General of Songhai Farms in Benin Republic, who led the conversation, challenged all stakeholders to dismantle outdated systems and embrace innovative, eco-friendly practices like those demonstrated by the Songhai model.
Nzamujo, a professor, said that adhering to the ‘business as usual’ approach to agriculture is a major driver of food insecurity in Nigeria and Africa.
He said the consequences of these unsustainable agricultural practices, which include environmental degradation and soil erosion, are responsible for the loss of approximately 13% of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He charged decision-makers and the masses with seeing agriculture as a “Weapon of mass production” that could lift most of the population out of poverty.
In his keynote address as the Special Guest of Honour, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, disclosed that over 15 food security-related bills are currently at various stages of the legislative process in the Green Chamber. He added that this reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to enacting legislation aimed at boosting agricultural production and enhancing food security in Nigeria.
The Speaker, who was represented by Chairman, House Committee on Nutrition and National Food Security, Chike John Okafor, ex pressed concern over the high rate of malnutrition in the country, particularly among children, many of whom suffer from stunted growth and micronutrient deficiencies. He called on young Nigerians to take an active role in combating food insecurity by engaging in agriculture.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, outlined strategies his new ministry is implementing to address pressing agricultural challenges. He called on all Nigerians to embrace farming to produce at least one-third of their individual consumption needs.
The Chairman, Board of Directors, Media Trust Group, Malam Kabiru A. Yusuf, stressed the need to address the gap between food production and affordability, urging stakeholders to find solutions that ensure every Nigerian can afford to eat nutritious meals.
He raised concerns over the rising cost of food in Nigeria, saying that street foods are becoming inaccessible for many citizens.
The President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Architect Kabir Ibrahim, who identified insecurity as a major threat to food security, suggested that the government should consider disruptive methodologies that could involve defoliation of the forests or even bulldozing them in some cases, regardless of the pressure from climate change activists. He cited Brazil as an example of countries that have taken this route with verifiable successes.
He also called on the CBN to shore up the purchasing power of the naira in order to improve competitiveness in international trade.