Insecurity Causing Agricultural Issue, Farmers Displacement, Poor Yield – Speaker Abbas

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Abbas Tajudeen, has lamented the impact of insecurity on food production in Nigeria, saying the country has recorded a decline in the agricultural sector.

 

Speaker Abbas, who noted that other factors such as rural-urban migration, dependence on oil and climate change have also posed threats to the country’s food security, warned against the quick-money syndrome among young Nigerians.

 

The Speaker, who was represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Food and Nutrition, Mr. Chike Okafor, spoke at the 22nd Daily Trust Dialogue held in Abuja.

 

“I believe that we must collectively strive to enhance agricultural production, lower costs, and build the infrastructure needed for the agricultural and allied sectors to thrive. I do not believe that food security is a privilege.

 

It is a fundamental right. No citizen of our dear country should go to bed hungry because of the contest between availability and affordability.

 

“With the right focus, which is now being driven by the renewed hope programme and keenly supported by our legislative agenda, I firmly believe that food insecurity in Nigeria will become history.

 

We are not far from achieving this.

 

I therefore expect that the robust discussion here today will enrich us with actionable points that will help our resolve to collectively address the issue of food insecurity in our country.

 

“For us in the House of Representatives, we are ready to partner with the media on any legislation that may arise from this dialogue to ensure food security in Nigeria.”

 

Speaker Abbas noted that he was impressed with the theme of the dialogue, which is ‘Food Security: Availability or Affordability?

 

“With the saying that hunger is an injustice in a world of abundance, this topic could not have been timelier. The issues for interrogation, and for which we must find answers here, are relevant and timely as Nigeria continues to grapple with high inflation, which significantly impacts the purchasing power of citizens and exacerbates food insecurity,” he said.

 

Speaker Abbas also said that the issues about food security also align with the Legislative Agenda of the 10th House where the members place emphasis on the diversification of the economy through agricultural development to guarantee food security and self-sufficiency.

 

The Speaker explained that the theme clearly captures the question that agitates the minds of many Nigerians today.

 

“We cannot effectively discuss issues impacting poor agricultural yield and food insecurity in Nigeria without a mention of the devastating effect of insecurity across the country on the farming communities especially. Insecurity in Nigeria has led to a decline in agricultural productivity, displacement of farmers and poor yield.

 

“Today, the Federal Government is making every possible effort to address this and ensure that farmers return to their communities and lands because the decline in productivity leads to food shortages and economic loss for both the country and the farmers.

 

“Insecurity has also made it difficult for Nigeria to achieve its national goal of becoming a hunger-free nation, as displaced farmers can no longer farm and those who farm are stopped from harvesting their crops. In some parts of the country, non-state actors hold farmers to ransom and ask for all manner of taxes before they are allowed to harvest their crops.”He said.

 

While pointing out that it is crucial to recognise that food insecurity “has long been a challenge in Nigeria,” Speaker Abbas said it was driven by factors such as general insecurity, unavailable infrastructure to scale up production, and economic instability.

 

“However, the greatest culprit has been years of diverted focus from the agricultural sector. These are years when we, as a nation, moved focus from agriculture and its potential to drive the national economy and focus more on the petroleum sector.” He said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oyenike Oyeniyi