By Lawal Dahiru Mamman
Why are the Nigerians not having enough food to eat? Why? That is the question we need to answer. Statistics paint a grim picture and the anecdotal evidence is there. We have working farmers but numbers say people are not eating well.
The above was paraphrased from the address of the Chairman, Media Trust Group, at the 22nd Daily Trust Dialogue and Presentation of Unsung Heroes, themed “Food Security: Availability or Affordability?” held at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja on 23 January 2025. One does not need an emeritus to explain the reasoning behind the choice of theme.
As an individual with a background in agriculture, I have often had serious discussions with two close friends about the true value of our certificates. If we cannot make a tangible impact on curbing hunger, which continues to plague Nigerians, then what is the point? The alarming statistics of hunger and malnutrition only paint a bleaker picture each year.
We never really take into account other graduates from different subsectors of agriculture, but we somehow always come to the conclusion that we are part of the reason millions of Nigerians go hungry, and we hope to make a difference in the near future, dumping the noise and swinging into real action.
It is this very concern that drives my desire to attend conferences or dialogues like the aforementioned, but circumstances did not permit it. Thankfully, technology has been birthed and it came to the rescue. The organisers provided live coverage across Facebook, YouTube, and Zoom, which I was able to access, allowing me to participate in the programme, albeit not until the very end.
It was a session to examine the current state of affairs and an open floor for discussion on how to make food available and affordable. Pundits brainstormed Nigeria’s vast fertile land, large bodies of water and adequate rainfall in each geopolitical zone, suitable for various crops and rearing animals, explored and seeked to decode how despite these rich agrarian factors hunger perseveres when there should be no correlation at all.
Farmer-herder clashes, a misunderstanding that has escalated from cultivated lands to homes, affecting innocent women and children, were deliberated upon, along with their impact on optimum crop production. In my view, our inability to properly harness pasture and rangeland is a contributory factor.
To put things into perspective, in a class, we studied over ten plants that, when cultivated, can provide sustenance for our livestock. This not only helps resolve clashes, but also reduces competition for valuable food resources between humans and domesticated animals, until we achieve self-sufficiency.
Genetically modified organisms (GMO) foods was another talking point. Exploring and tweaking specific genetic traits for better quality in other plants or animals is not new in agriculture. Before we sort ethical issues surrounding GMOs for long term solution on food availability, attention must be paid on short term remedy for same, and affordability.
Post harvest spoilage or waste was another concern. Even as these food items, especially perishables, are not sufficiently abundant, during harvest, a lot go to waste without arriving markets. What does this tell us? There is the ability to produce sufficiently but, as a nation it becomes imperative to invest in processing and storage infrastructure to arrest the issue of availability and affordability, it is basic economic principle of demand and supply.
Insecurity remains the bane of farmers. Many have abandoned their lands in order to remain alive, frankly, no one blames them. In offering solution, President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) said there is a need to defoliate forests in Nigeria which serves as safe haven for criminal elements – bandits, Boko Haram, ISWAP and Lakurawa alike.
He alluded to the fact that his idea may not sit well with climate change and environmental enthusiasts but stood firmly by this suggestion. This idea may not necessarily be out of place when we zoom our lens to realities of food availability and affordability. What I must add, if this is not welcomed, stakeholders should have a round table talk on other ways to save lives and tackle food insecurity without defoliation.
Present during the dialogue was the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha. Among a lot of things he said Nigerians are tired of saying the country has “potential”, stressing that it is time to ”activate” it. Although we must know the potentials before attempting to activate, his assertion is oncourse, our potentials have since been established.
According to him, policies should address the issue where people produce for only family consumption with little to sell while also highlighting the need to change the way we do things in the agricultural sector, for us to get a different outcome. Rightly captured but do average farmers have at their disposal sophisticated tools to produce for family and market? our practice is still largely primitive you know.
I am a believer that every citizen has a role to play for the betterment of Nigeria but importantly, leadership bears greater responsibility therefore, I was happy the Minister and a representative of the Speaker of House of Representatives – both in positions to “make things happen” – were present or represented among other stakeholders.
Overall, the dialogue was critical, informative, and enlightening, but we hope to see where we go from here in our efforts to make food available and affordable.
Lawal Dahiru Mamman writes from Abuja and can be reached on: dahirulawal90@gmail.com