Buhari’s agric policy to boost food security ― Adedoja

The chairman, Governing Board of the Nakudu Institute of Agriculture, Birnin-Kudu, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja has called on Nigerians to take advantage of President Muhammadu Buhari’s people-oriented policies on agricultural development to embrace farming and food production so as to achieve food security in the country.

Prof Adedoja noted that the increase in food production in Nigeria cannot be done just by the policy, adding that the increase in food production in Nigeria must be championed by Nigerians themselves as it shall be championed by Nigerian farmers.

Making the assertion on Wednesday, Prof. Adedoja at the national seminar on agriculture for the sustainability of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in North-East Nigeria, organised by Nakudu Institute of Agriculture in collaboration with Coventry University, United Kingdom, held in Kano.

Prof. Adedoja who was a former Minister of State for Sports and former Dean, Faculty of Education, Bayero University, Kano (BUK) noted that  government and its policies alone cannot achieve food security without the active participation of the private research institutions

His words: “We need private sector-based institutes that will conduct research that its results will get to users such as the farmers, food processors, and those in the agricultural food and chain sectors.

“Nigerians are interested in farming; Nigerians are interested in food production. All they need is encouragement from the government and I believe that the Buhari administration is one that is determined to increase food production by involving the people.”

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He added: “We believe that for Nigeria’s economy to grow the private sector will have to re-prioritised, the private sector will have to come on board. If you talk about food security in this country, it has always been government, government, government!”

“If we look at the number of Institutes of Agriculture in Nigeria, most are government-supported, government-funded; but because of bureaucracy, the recourse of the research in the various government-owned research institutes have not found its way to the users of the results of the research.

“So, as a result of that, The Nakudu Institute of Agriculture is to break the ground for the agricultural revolution in Nigeria from the point of view of the private initiative.

“That is why we believe that this two-day national seminar will be one of the ways of finding solution to having the problems of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) solved in this country because it is not sufficient to give people food, but you must give them something that must sustain their lives; and that is the theme of this conference: Agriculture For The Sustainability Of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East, Nigeria.”

“The Agro-research Institutes in Nigeria are trying their best, but what I am saying is that because of bureaucracy, that is why the private sector is coming in, and that is the reason why this Institute was established to break new grounds in providing research results that will have the reflection of government policies, and also ensure that the research results get to the users.”

Earlier, the Proprietor of Nakudu Institute of Agriculture, Senator Sabo Mohammed Nakudu who was represented by Bar. Mohammed Nakudu said: “The main aim of establishing Nakudu Institute of Agriculture is to encourage private individuals and entities to look at food production privately rather than being dependent on government agencies.”

Among the papers presented at the Seminar include a keynote address entitled: “Healing Land, Sustaining Lives: Enhancing the Ecological and Social Resilience of Communities in Forced Displacements,” by the guest speaker, Mrs Liliane Binego of the Coventry University Research Centre for  Agroecology and Water Resilience, Coventry, United Kingdom.