Presidency adopts multipronged measures to combat food insecurity

Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday inaugurated the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU) as part of efforts by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to tackle hunger and hardship in the land.

 This followed a presentation by the Technical Assistant to the President on Agriculture, Office of the Vice President, Marion Moon.

 According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Information, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the new initiative is one of the ways the presidency is engaging with states, development partners and other critical stakeholders in the ongoing efforts to address the soaring prices of commodities and general food insecurity in the country.

 Addressing members of the group comprising governors, cabinet ministers and representatives of development partners, Senator Shettima said, “The nation is facing a rare food security crisis and the sooner we come to terms with the reality, the better.

“Food insecurity endangers the very basis of our democratic experiment and this is why all hands have to be on deck. We are in a food security crisis but it also provides us the opportunity to re-engineer and reposition the nation on a firmer footing.”

Outlining the mandate of the PFSCU, the Vice President said the unit was not created to usurp the functions of the Ministry of Agriculture, noting that the urgency and seriousness of the matter at hand requires the ideas and resources of all stakeholders.

Sen. Shettima made reference to the Green Imperative Programme, a government-catalyzed, private sector-driven, agricultural industrialization programme, as one initiative which the PFSCU must work assiduously to activate and operationalize.

He stated that with improved farming practices, improved seeds, use of fertilizers, Nigeria’s agricultural productivity could be turned around for the better.

Earlier, state governors in the committee outlined plans to modernise farming practices, increase crop yields, and transform Nigeria into a self-sufficient food producer.

 Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River said the state is looking forward to feeding the country, adding that his government must modernize agriculture to feed the population.

“We are an agrarian state, and we have stepped up our game,” Governor Otu noted.

 On his part, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, emphasised the need for a coordinated approach, citing low productivity and population growth as a major challenge to the nation’s food security drive.

 He called for investment in commercial agriculture, improved funding, and enhanced security for farmers.

Also, Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, highlighted the state’s potential to achieve food security.

 “All that is needed is the political will to drive the process. Our lands are very fertile. In Jigawa, there are places where we are yielding ten tonnes per hectare of rice. There are so many places like that. As of today, our average in Jigawa State is about 12.56 per hectare. We are on the right course. What we need is sustained political will,” the governor explained.

For his part, Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, proposed his state as a pilot for the President’s food security initiative.