Don identifies missing link in FG’s food sufficiency push

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A professor of aquaculture nutrition, Prof. Ademola Aderolu, has said that efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Federal Government to ensure food security may not quickly yield the desired result considering the disconnect between academia, industry, and tiers of government across the country.

Aderolu of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) gave this stand while speaking at the 24th Inaugural Lecture for the 2324 Academic Session with the theme “Food-Feed Struggle, the Nutritionist as an Umpire,” which took place at the university campus in Yaba and was attended by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, among others, sadly noting that the lack of synergy among the major stakeholders in the country’s agricultural chain had aided food insecurity.

The university don, while describing the academia as the “gown” and the other stakeholders, including the government as the “town,” pointed out that with strong cooperation, the country would not be having challenges in feeding its people irrespective of the projections for the population explosion globally.

According to him, the disconnect between the “Town” and the “Gown” had affected the ability to change the country from a food importer to a major food export route, as well as contributing to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Aderolu argued that expectations of Nigerians were that the Federal Government makes policies to drive the sector while the academia furnishes the government with authentic evidence through research to aid decisions on policy formulation and program designs, but quickly pointed out that due to lack of synergy, each stakeholder operates in isolation, with the government policies not addressing needs while the researches made from the varsities now gather dust on many shelves or in journals without fulfilling their desired purpose.

Prof. Aderolu expressed concerns over the country’s rapid population growth as well as its implications on obtainable dietary habits and farming practices across the country, even as he further noted that no fewer than 821 million people currently face hunger globally, a development that he said called for an urgent need to embrace measures to address food insecurity in Nigeria.

Besides, he noted that this challenge was further being made worse considering the spate of kidnapping and farmer-herder clashes, as well as other challenges that had continued to threaten food security in the country.

“There is a great disconnect between us in academia and the industries. Do they have researchers? Do the researchers have funds? They don’t put money here for us to do research. And that is why most of our researchers say we are doing this much, but we are not seeing it. When I use my money to sponsor research and no one recognises me or pays for it, I will just keep it for publication to get a promotion as a lecturer.

“But if the government comes to the industry and says, I am giving you all a mandate; if you can get us to produce fish feed for a particular price, I will give you such an amount outside your salary. Watch us and let us see if you will get results or not,” Aderolu said.

Speaking further, the university don stated that aside from this, other factors required to end food insecurity across the country were available but not well coordinated to yield the desired result, declaring that there was a need for good-quality land, experts in it, and then a market to sell it, all of which he said were available in the country.

“What you need for food security is good quality land, experts in it, and then a market to sell it. Tell me which one we don’t have in Nigeria. For instance in fish, presently, our coastal areas have just been expanded again. We now have a coastal area that is five times the size of Lagos. That is the size of our coastal area now that can grow enough fish.

“For example, the amount of fish needed for consumption is about 3.3 million metric tonnes, and we only have 1.3 million. The remaining 2 million, we import. And this should not be.

*An average graduate, how much is he being paid? Especially a graduate of the fishery, what we pay is less than N50,000. If you increase this amount to like N80,000, they will be willing to work more. Yes, it is 30 percent more, but can you compare it to the margin of dollars we spend to import fish annually?

“So, the government should recalibrate, pay people more, increase their working time, and increase the inefficiency; we will get more fish because we are blessed with good water, sufficient in quality, and we have experts. But our experts are not encouraged,” he stated.

Aderolu urged Nigeria to adopt the Benin Republic strategy, which had assisted the country to reduce food importation based on the fact that her president, Patrice Talon, is farmer-friendly, being a farmer himself, stressing that when the production is done within the country, there will be sufficient food in the right quantity, quality, and pocket-friendly for Nigerians.

“Why do you think the Benin Republic is making it? Their president is farmer-friendly because he is a farmer. Before the production for the year, the government will tell you we are buying your product from you at so and so price.

“So as a farmer, you know the cost of your product and the margin. I believe with that, the farmers will be happy to engage in their practice,” he said.

The vice chancellor, Prof. Ogundipe, while acknowledging the extent of research done by the researcher at the lecture, stated that Aderolu had done thorough justice to the discussion.

She noted that the solutions proffered by him would benefit both humanity and academics as they strive to ensure food security in the country.

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