Food insecurity threatens Nigeria’s stability, future, says minister
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has said the implication of food insecurity extends beyond hunger, as it affects health outcomes, diminishes productivity and contributes to social and economic instability.
According to him, long-term consequences of food insecurity include undermining the well-being of future generations and threatening national security.
In the same vein, Sen Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central) charged Nigerians to exhibit a positive attitude in the face of economic difficulties, as the Senate got the Presidency’s back to overcome the challenges.
Speaking during the Food and Energy Security in Africa Conference, organised by White & Case LLP, in collaboration with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and Afreximbank in Lagos, the minister said the realisation made President Bola Tinubu to place agriculture on the front burner as a pathway to national food security and economic stability.
While noting the government’s determination to transform the agricultural landscape, Kyari said “it is impossible to do it” without the support of the private sector.
He said, “Strategic collaborations such as this are vital for sustainable solutions. Our agriculture sector, a pillar of Nigeria’s economy, faces numerous obstacles that limit its full potential. Climate change intensified unpredictable weather patterns, leading to droughts and floods that devastate crops and threaten food supply chains.
“Soil degradation, driven by overuse and poor land management practices, reduces agricultural yields.” The minister added, “The solutions we seek must be bold, innovative and holistic. We need to increase our investment in climate-smart agriculture to make our farms more resilient to the effects of climate change. Expanding irrigation systems and adopting water conservation practices will be critical.
“Our administration is also focusing on improving the agricultural value chain. This means investing in better storage facilities, efficient logistics and robust agro-processing industries to minimise post-harvest losses.”
UMEH stated that members of the National Assembly were also feeling the economic crisis but were hopeful that the Federal Government’s interventions would fix the problem.
The LP senator told reporters in Enugu: “We understand the mood of the times now, things are very difficult. But we are appealing to our people to be patient and see how the government programmes can turn things around. We, as representatives of the people, first receive pressure from our constituents. They call us every hour asking for support and help to cushion the effect of the hardship on families.
“So, we know things are very difficult and we are doing everything we can to support the government through the National Assembly to ensure that government gets what it needs to help it fight this problem in the land. We have done so well in this regard. It is on record that there is nothing the President requested from the National Assembly that he did not get. We only pray that his policies get us the expected reliefs our people yearn for.”
On the leadership crisis rocking his party, Umeh expressed optimism that it would soon be overcome. He maintained, however, that almost every party in the country is in crisis, not only LP.
“LP is in crisis, but the crisis is not peculiar to it. We are working hard to resolve all the issues. Other parties have their problems. So, we believe that with time we will overcome these challenges,” he said.
Credit: TheGUARDIAN
