President Bola Tinubu has been advised to declare a state of emergency on agriculture and lead the agricultural revolution in Nigeria.
This, he was advised, can be done by actively engaging in farming, along with other innovative policies that will ensure food sufficiency in the country.
Professor Abiodun Raufu, an Assistant Professor at Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana, USA stated this in a statement.
Raufu, a former Editor of Nigeria’s surviving oldest newspaper, the Nigerian Tribune, gave the advice ad majority of Nigerians are struggling to feed, amid acute food shortage and rising prices of food.
Acknowledging the recent announcement by the Federal Government to engage in massive food import, the don said food import is a stop-gap measure.
He said a state of emergency would allow for the mobilisation of resources and enable the government to implement swift and comprehensive measures to address the immediate needs of farmers.
He added that it would also restore damaged farmlands, improve security in the rural areas and introduce modern agricultural practices that can withstand future challenges.
Professor Raufu commended the president for directing that all arable military land across the country should be cultivated.
He said tackling the challenge of food security is a task that requires the involvement of all Nigerians, beginning with the president who he said must lead by engaging in some form of agriculture.
According to Raufu, the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, has done demonstrated this by engaging in garden farm.
He however said the symbolism associated with the president by also engaging in some sort of farming in his spare time can be capable of encouraging Nigerians to embrace agriculture at different levels.
He said this was especially needed backyard farming in this difficult period, particularly at this time of the year when rain is in abundance.
“A country like Nigeria with large expanse of arable and fertile land should not be complaining about food shortage and hunger. This is when countries like Israel and even the United States with less fertile land produces food in excess.
“With the right agricultural policies and leadership, we should be talking about preservation of excess agricultural produce and its exportation.
“Since difficult times requires unusual solutions, I will go as far as also suggesting that all political leaders at all levels should also lead by example.
“They should do this by engaging in some level of farming to encourage people to join in warding off the hunger and starvation that majority of Nigerians are currently experiencing,” Professor Raufu stated.
According to him, government at all levels can tackle the problem of food insecurity through a multi-faceted approach.
He said this can be done using local government authorities as the pivot for agricultural revolution by investing heavily in farm machineries, rural development and massive introduction of high yield seeds, among other ideas.
