The Federal Government has been urged to expressly address insecurity which is keeping farmers away from their farms.
The Primate of The African Church, His Eminence Julius Osayande Abbe, made the plea during a press briefing ahead of the 5th Biennial and 118th conference of the church.
The conference is scheduled to take place between Friday, May 3, and Sunday, May 5, 2024, at the African Church Cathedral, Salem, Ebute Metta, Lagos.
The cleric, who commended the Federal Government for the grains released months ago to cushion the effect of the hardship in the country, to expressed sadness that farmers in states known for their prowess in food production can no longer visit their farms due to the level of insecurity in the land.
He said: “Nigeria is good; we have good and fertile land, and good climatic conditions. Our people are not lazy, if the necessary support is given to the farmers and the issue of insecurity is addressed, food crisis will be a thing of the past in the country.
“The small-scale and large farmers need to be encouraged with necessary incentives. The issue of storage is very essential to encourage farmers to store grains and agro commodities during glut, so that during food scarcity, they can bring out food from the barn and there will be food for all. As said earlier, addressing insecurity and support to farmers is very essential to be food secured.”
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He said the role of the church in the matters of global warming should really hit the ground running. “As a church, I want us to consider the following – that the church as society’s conscience, meaning that whenever humanity uses their God-given dominion for predatory exploitation instead of acting as co-creator with the ultimate, the church must blow the whistle.
“The second role is, simply, teaching. A divine mandate requires the education of all stakeholders in then caring for the earth. The church is in a privileged position with regard to conserving our environment and denouncing environmental degradation.”
On his part, the Lay President, Chief Adewale Odufuwa advised the country to embrace mechanised farming, noting that developed countries have adopted the system of farming to address issue of food security.
He said government has a lot to do to encourage farmers and improve the sector, in order for the country to have abundant food to eat.
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