By Funke Cole
With food insecurity still ravaging the country, Lagos State as always is leading the vanguard of those working towards stemming hunger pangs and food scarcity through a combination of factors.
It is no mere coincidence that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the new helmsman at the South-West Governors’ Forum, is leading the charge for food security in not just Lagos but for the rest of the southwest.
Sanwo-Olu, who met with fellow governors of the region a fortnight ago at a meeting in Alausa, set machinery in motion towards achieving economic integration, security, and food production.
To expand food production and agricultural development, the Forum also directed their respective States’ Commissioners for Agriculture to immediately come together and develop a comprehensive agricultural template that would leverage on each State’s comparative advantage.
While acknowledging the efforts of the Federal Government to strengthen food security, the governor hinted of plans to incorporate. “We decide that Commissioners for Agriculture of all the South-West states should begin to meet and set up a working template, which will ensure collaboration based on each State’s comparative advantage”, he said.
Arising from the outcome of that forum, the state is already working towards cascading down the fallout of the interface and discussion session by galvanising action through collective participation of all stakeholders.
Giving insights on this new paradigm shift on efforts to encourage food security across the state, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Rural Development, Nurudeen Agbaje who spoke during an interactive session recently, said the State government has admonished the local government councils to embrace improved agricultural practices to tackle food insecurity, especially at the grassroots.
Addressing some Heads of Agriculture and Social Services in the 57 local government areas, Agbaje lamented that food insecurity was because few people are venturing into agriculture.
“If everyone in this room plants tomatoes on a plot of land, at harvest time, we would have successfully tackled a bit of shortage of tomatoes in the state,” he noted.
Agbaje harped on the importance of the agricultural revolution, asserting that it can only happen when adequate attention is given to agriculture at the grassroots.
“This is why Heads of Agric Departments at the councils must equip farmers in their communities with requisite skills needed for farming all year round,” he said.
According to the governor’s aide, the government is willing to invest in the improvement of agriculture to tackle the dearth of food production and distribution.
He, therefore, urged the council officials to meet with farmers in their domain to get areas where the government can help their ventures.
He reiterated that achieving food security in Lagos is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders. “Everyone must partner with the agricultural sector to fight food shortage,” Agbaje said.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development Kikelomo Bolarinwa, represented by the Director of Rural Agriculture, Tawakaltu Kosoko, praised the Heads of Departments for ensuring that the efforts of Mr. Governor in cascading development to rural farmers are visible.
She affirmed that the interactive session is a move to foster agriculture development across the state, especially at the grassroots.
Bolarinwa also hinted that there would be subsequent meetings targeted at equipping rural farmers with improved methods and tools that would engender an increase in agricultural productivity.
Chairman of the Body of Heads of Department of Agric.ulture and Social Services in the state, Rasheed Bada commended the governor for ensuring that the Office of Rural Development in the Ministry becomes a rallying point where rural farmers can access information and opportunities that would improve agriculture production.
Just like the modest successes achieved with the Ounje Eko Sunday market that signalled the reduction of food by 25 percent, stakeholders are convinced that the new measures being introduced by Governor Sanwo-Olu in the area of food security will also bear positive fruits at the end.
•Cole, a public affairs commentator writes, from Lagos