Vice President Kashim Shettima of Nigeria has sounded a stark warning about the country’s deepening food security crisis, urging leaders to swiftly confront the harsh reality unfolding across the nation.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU) in Abuja on Friday, Vice President Shettima underscored the gravity of the situation amid rising hunger and economic hardship.
“Nigeria is facing a rare food security crisis, and the sooner our leaders come to terms with this reality, the better,” Mr. Shettima emphasized, according to a statement from his spokesperson.
The Vice President’s remarks come in the wake of soaring food prices, exacerbated by policy changes such as the removal of petrol subsidies and the floating of the Nigerian naira, which have driven up costs for essential goods.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has responded by initiating measures to mitigate the crisis, including the recent decision to permit duty-free importation of critical food items like rice, beans, and wheat.
This move aims to bolster food availability and alleviate the financial strain on Nigerian households.
As the nation grapples with these challenges, the newly established PFSCU is expected to play a pivotal role in coordinating efforts to stabilize food systems and ensure sustainable solutions to the mounting crisis.
The Vice President’s call for urgent action underscores the severity of Nigeria’s food security plight, urging a unified approach to safeguarding the well-being of its citizens amidst turbulent economic conditions.
Read the statement in full below:
Presidency Adopts Multipronged Measures To Combat Food Insecurity
- VP Shettima inaugurates presidential food systems unit to harness resources, ideas
The presidency has engaged the 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.
To this effect, Vice President Kashim Shettima on Friday 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.
Addressing members of the group comprising governors, cabinet ministers and representatives of development partners, Mr 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 require the ideas and resources of all stakeholders.
Mr Shettima made reference to the Green Imperative Programme, a government-catalysed, private sector-driven, agricultural industrialisation programme, as one initiative which the PFSCU must work assiduously to activate and operationalise.
He stated that with improved farming practices, improved seeds, use of fertilisers, 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 State said Cross River State is looking to feed the country, adding that his government must modernise 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, the 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.
He revealed that Niger has invested over N100 billion naira in agricultural mechanisation, with 5,000 tractors and twenty pilot irrigation systems available.
Governor Bago called for support from the federal government, World Bank, and other development partners to ensure the success of these initiatives.
The Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Patricia Obila, who also spoke on the state’s unique topography and its potential to enhance its renowned Ebonyi Rice production, noted the need to introduce tractor mechanization to ensure year-round production and leverage youth participation by incentivizing agriculture with farm settlements equipped with necessary social amenities
On his part, Country Representative of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Dominique Kouacou, who spoke on behalf of a group of donors, pledged their commitment to the success of all the efforts by the federal government aimed at addressing food insecurity in the country.
He said the enthusiasm exhibited by the president and vice president in addressing challenges in the agricultural sector is commendable and has reawakened the commitment of donors in the sector, assuring that they were fully on board with the government.
Also present at the meeting were Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari; Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi; National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Maifata Mu’azu, and Executive Secretary of National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Muhammed Ibrahim.
Others include Managing Director/CEO of Flour Mills of Nigeria, Omoboyede Olusanya; MD of SaroAfrica, Rasheed Sarunmi; World Bank Programme Leader, Sustainable Development, Nigeria, Vinay Vutukuru, and the institution’s Senior Agriculture economist, Mr Manievel Emmanuel Sene, among others.
Stanley Nkwocha
Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications
(Office of The Vice President)
12th July, 2024