Foremost diaspora coalition, under the aegis of Yoruba One Voice (YOV), has charged the Federal Government and governors of the six states in the South West region to address the spreading hunger in Yorubaland, saying they should make agriculture more attractive to the people of the South West region.
YOV gave this charge at the weekend at the end of its quarterly conference held via zoom, with no fewer than 500 participants featuring from across the six continents of the world where the diaspora organization was located.
The conference, with the theme: “Rescuing Yoruba Nation From Hunger, your Task, my Task, according to YOV,” urged for a timely intervention strategy on the part of the Federal Government and the South West Governors, saying that they should devise a better approach to make agriculture more attractive to the people of the region.
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Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, who is also the convener of YOV, said the reason for the YOV’s quarterly conference was to impress it on the government at all levels to work on the best approach at solving the problem of hunger in Yoruba land.
“In Nigeria today, the acute hunger across the country does not know the tribe or the region. It does not know the colour of our skin and the dialect we speak as a race. It is a general issue that needs urgent solution,” he said.
The Yoruba generalissimo identified rising spate of insecurity, killings and kidnapping of farmers as one of the factors responsible for hunger in the land, saying that lack of adequate support in terms of getting loan facility, which he also described as the obvious lacuna between the South and the Northern farmers also played a role.
According to him, movement of the young and abled youths from the village to the cities in search of White collar jobs, as well as lack of adequate knowledge on modern and mechanized farming equally contributed to the problem at hand.
Adams, while proffering solutions to the hunger in Yoruba land, gave insights into what he termed an agric revolution, saying efforts should be made on improving livestock production which he noted was more lucrative than the other aspects of farming.
The Yoruba generalissimo gave a clear financial analysis of the money spent daily on number cows consumed across the South West region, insisting that more could be done in making agriculture more attractive.
“Nigeria is a blessed country and Yoruba land is even the greatest beneficiary of God’s blessings.
“This is evident in the way we plant our farm produce. Within a few days you see your seed grow with pride. All over the world, agriculture is a global business. Whether micro or macro agriculture.
“The success depends largely on the need to expand the scope and advance the technological and mechanical advantage in the agric production.
“Today, Nigeria and the South West is no longer the largest producer of cocoa, but we can still dictate and drive the market if the governors can do a reform that can help our agric sector.
“In today’s world, there are ways to plant and harvest cocoa within a short period of time. Let me say two to three years and you get your results.
“We cannot use the old methods to solve today’s problems.
“More importantly, another major factor that has affected our farmers in the South West is the obvious loan facility lacuna between the Northern farmers and the Southern farmers,” Iba Adams stated.
The guest speaker, Prince Adeyemi Omisakin, in his address, also dwelled on the need to focus more on giving the necessary support to the farmers, noting sadly that the emergence of civilisation and the growing shapes of modernism, had gradually eroded the respect given to farmers.
“There’s need to focus on not only the need for the present Yoruba societies to return to the lands, but how to also conduct productive farming activities effectively, even at cheaper rates, so as to rescue our already degenerated societies from the pangs of present hunger and to regain our nobilities among comity of nations,” Omisakin said.
He urged the Federal Government and the six governors of the South West region to look inwards in addressing the basic problem of hunger by giving adequate support to locally made products.
“There is also dirt of local food production while the prices of imported food increases almost every day as a result of exchange rates, among other factors.
“Over dependence on imported foods such as rice, a bag which is sold at more than N80,000 at the moment. Beans is even costlier. In fact, the yet to be paid new minimum wage in the country cannot even buy a bag of either of them,” he said.
YOV General Secretary, Prince Adedokun Ademiluyi, said in his own remarks that with Nigeria’s huge population of about 230million people, there was need for adequate food security, warning that no country, having Nigeria’s population can survive the growing threats emanating from spreading hunger if it didn’t take good care of its huge population.
“Nigerian government must address the issue of food shortage and hunger as urgently as it is possible.
“No country of Nigeria’s population can survive the growing threats that is emanating from spreading hunger if it didn’t take good care of its huge population.
“It will be a major disaster for Nigeria to continue to live in denial, without making an adequate plan for its huge population as the need for food security is very important now than before,” he said.
Also speaking, Professor Kolawole Raheem, said the present administration in the country must work out a well- coordinated regional template that would include all the six states in the South West.
He said that the intention of the conference was to address food scarcity in Yoruba land and further strengthen the bond that would enhance agricultural prospects in the region.
“Let us revive the farm settlement created by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo across Yoruba land. It will go a long way in solving all the problems associated with hunger and famine in Yoruba land,” Raheem said.
On her part, Iyalode Abike Ade also emphasized the need to boost local farming in Yoruba land, adding that grassroots farming across the South West states had the potential of saving Yoruba land from hunger.
She, however, assured that YOV would not relent in its efforts to address the fundamental issues affecting the Yoruba race.
“We are a blessed race and the best we can do now is to engage in local farming that will take care of our needs at the grassroots level,” she said.
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