Food security: Prioritize agricultural revolution – Obasanjo tells states govts
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has tasked state governments in the country to place more priority on agricultural development.
Obasanjo made this call when a delegation of commissioners and special advisers from Niger State paid him a courtesy call in Abeokuta over the weekend.
According to him, until Nigeria can feed itself, the country will continue sitting on a time.
He noted that with modern equipment now available, the impact of agricultural initiatives will be greater than the projects of the past.
The visit included a tour of a farm where youths from Niger State are undergoing training in innovative agricultural techniques for eventual replication in the state.
Obasanjo commended the Niger State governor’s effort in transforming the agricultural sector in the state, adding that Governor Umaru Bago’s agricultural initiatives can be likened to his own ‘Operation Feed the Nation” policy of 1976.
He said that agricultural self-sufficiency can move Nigeria from the state it is currently in and improve the socio-economic well-being of the people while calling on other state governors to follow Niger State’s lead in agricultural development to ensure that Nigeria can produce the majority of its food.
The erstwhile military Head of State and President encouraged Niger State to continue investing in agriculture and explore modern methods to enhance existing practices, expressing his intention to visit Niger State with his team to learn from their progress and exchange ideas to improve and add value to his agricultural endeavors.
He also advised Nigerians to consider investing in soilless farming stressing that innovative farming techniques are essential to sustaining the nation’s agricultural productivity.
