When in July last year, barely two months in office, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in food security, he was hailed by many people, within and outside Nigeria. In a way, you could say that even the opposition parties, always very quick to criticise government policies, clapped for him, albeit with their silence on the presidential pronouncement. President Tinubu, who then was still fighting for his legal hold on the presidency, appeared to have struck the right chord, as it came at a time food insecurity and rising cost of food items made the headlines the world over.
A statement signed by Mr. Dele Alake, then the unofficial spokesperson for the president, while announcing the decision had quoted the president as promising to “deploy some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the Agricultural sector.” For a people who had been uncomfortable with the fuel subsidy payment resulting in the enrichment of a very small percentage of the population at the expense of the majority, putting part of the savings from its removal in agriculture that will benefit all and sundry was a cheering news. The seriousness of that declaration was further demonstrated in the release when it said that “all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items” were henceforth placed under the control of the National Security Council.
The statement by Mr. Alake also gave the impression that the declaration of the state of emergency was a well thought out decision judging by the plans laid out by the administration. For instance, it pledged to end the seasonal farming method, give out fertilisers to farmers and relevant households to mitigate the effects of subsidy removal, promote a synergy between the ministries of agriculture and water resources, engage the security agencies to adequately tackle insecurity in the land, so farmers can go to the farms. President Tinubu also pledged to create a National Commodities Board, which will be charged with the responsibility to review and assess prices of food, as well as undertake a strategic food reserve for price stabilisation mechanism for food items. For the board, the president promised to involve all stakeholders including the private sector.
For those who were expected to take interest in farming due to the new measures being put in place, the government also said it would activate land banks to add to the already mapped out 500,000 hectares, while all the 11 river basin authorities in the country were to be made to collaborate with the relevant agencies to assist in the irrigation process, therefore, complement efforts of the government to have an all year round farming in the country.
In all the administration, which pledged to ease challenges in transportation and storage, pledged to deploy concessionary funding to the sector.
Mr. Kabiru Ibrahim, National President of the All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria welcomed the idea. Speaking on Arise Television, Mr. Ibrahim said it was a step in the right direction. He, however, expressed the hope that the promise to tackle insecurity would be a departure from the past, when the Muhammadu Buhari administration issued promises that were not backed with action. He said, “Everyone requires productivity, and to have that we must stem insecurity.” He should know. Members of his associations as at the time had in certain states had to completely stay away from the farm to avoid attacks by criminal herders who killed, injured and even rape women on the farms. There were other farmers who had to pay “security fees” to invaders before they could access their farms.
About one year after that declaration of the state of emergency, food inflation continued to rise monthly, until the last two months. Perhaps it is too early to score the government on the realisation of the objectives of that decision. However, there are indications that the government has started to implement some of the promised measures. For instance, the all-season farming method is being practised now with the full involvement of the eleven River Basin authorities in the country and the provision, through different agencies and foreign organisations, of irrigation materials like the solar irrigation panels, so farmers would no longer depend on only the rains to farm. The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has also provided fertilisers for the ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to distribute to farmers across the country.
Investments in agriculture go beyond addressing the food insecurity challenge, it is also a way of pepping up the economy that is currently in crisis. The agricultural sector contributes an average of 23 percent to the National Gross Domestic Products, GDP. However, it contracted in the first quarter of 2023 when it contributed 19.63 percent, and also for the first time under the former president. And that was despite huge investment in the sector. By September last year it picked again. This time recording 21 percent of the GDP. In some farm products the country has a great advantage, compared with other countries of the world. For instance, when the blight epidemic was reported in some states recently, the fear was that aside from losing the revenue accruable to the country from ginger, a possible loss of our global number two position in its production would impact negatively on Nigeria. BushLink realises that the government has not taken the challenge of availability of fertiliser lightly. We note that Vice President Kashim Shettima, at the National Economic Council, NEC meeting held last February, directed Senator Abubakar Kyari, minister of Agriculture and Food Security to hold a meeting with major fertiliser producers in the country, like Indorama, Dangote and Notore, with a purpose to getting them to not just produce for local need but also ensure that farmers get them at affordable price.
We note as well the assurance by the vice president that the agro-rangers set up to provide security at the farms is a temporary measure prior to making a reality the setting up of state police. It is apparent that the latter, even if the government believes that it is the panacea for solving the insecurity situation in Nigeria, cannot be done by fiat, as it requires an amendment to the constitution.
Yet, there are things that cannot wait. These things are the myriad of challenges militating against farming in the country, which have also limited the growth of agriculture and its contribution to national GDP.
There are things that cannot wait. These things are the myriad of challenges militating against farming in the country, which have also limited the growth of agriculture and its contribution to national GDP.
We sympathise with the Tinubu administration because it is laden with the constitutional responsibility to address all the challenges besetting the country and provide the best environment that Nigerians can be proud to call their own.
A country where its people now travel abroad simply because of the hostility that has become the new normal, working against the youth efforts to realise their potential. The sad thing about the delay in resolving the crisis in the agricultural sector is that it is reversing efforts at improving the provision of food for the citizens.
Despite the unfortunate food inflation, BushLink has noticed a trend that if continued would help galvanise the move towards improved production of agriculture products. It is the harmony between the federal government and the sub-national governments on the increased interest in the growth of agriculture in the country. We are particularly excited by this development, which appears to have also motivated more people, including women and youth, to take to farming in the states.
Nigeria is one of the countries bedeviled with the problem of poverty and food insecurity such that producing food in abundance would be a welcome development. A number of the subnational governments also keyed into the efforts, thus giving the impression that by the time the administration would be celebrating its first anniversary there would be so much to eat that we would have to start lecturing Nigerians on how to manage waste. That was the dream we had. That Nigeria would by now not only be able to feed itself but would perhaps be using food as a veritable weapon of diplomacy!
We are still in the dream world. For the food items, which we anticipated would be in surplus as we mark the first anniversary of the administration, have become so scarce and expensive that some people have started to doubt efforts said to have been taken by the governments, both at the federal and state levels.
We are still in the dream world. For the food items, which we anticipated would be in surplus as we mark the first anniversary of the administration, have become so scarce and expensive that some people have started to doubt efforts said to have been taken by the governments…
The truth, however, is that there has been some measure of movements at the two levels of government. For instance, at the state level, Governor Muhammed Bago, the self-styled Farmer Governor of Niger State, appears to have beaten his colleagues in the efforts to showcase the promotion of farming and food production in the country. Every programme, even the one undertaken by Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the president, is said to be tied to the Renewed Hope agenda of the president and the efforts of his administration to achieve food security in the country.
The impression we get from the ministry of agriculture and food security is that crops, particularly food crops, that were hitherto produced in certain seasons would, beginning from last year, now be produced throughout the year. The National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA etc were mobilised to distribute farm inputs across the states to assist farmers, while the problem of security is being tackled to encourage farmers who had been at the mercy of criminal herders to return to the farm. Out of the farm, farmers often find themselves at the mercy of outlaws, when they travel long distances to take farm produce to the market!
That is why we believe that the government still needs to work on the security challenge. For when we thought that the scourge was about to be removed, there appears to be a surge that creates more fear than we thought would ever be experienced. That was what informed the cry of Yakubu Maikyau, NBA president earlier in the year. Mr. Maiyau said at a press conference in Abuja, “All forms of criminal activities across the nation, howsoever described, by criminal elements by whatever name called, are completely inexcusable and unacceptable.” The lawyer said further, “The entire country is under siege by terrorists, bandits and criminal gangs. It is no longer easily determinable, if not impossible, which square kilometre of the Nigerian territory is under the authority not control of the Federal Government of Nigeria.” Security is very crucial if we must win the battle against food insecurity.
That notwithstanding, the hope, we believe, is in the commitment of the government and the security apparatus, a development that seems to be way different from what obtained under President Buhari. And that is why we are also encouraged by the rebound of the share of agriculture in the GDP last September.
We hope that this continues. If it does, the dream of achieving food security, and plans to further contribute to the national GDP will be achieved soon. What that means is that the country will earn more foreign exchange from the agriculture sector. So, when Nigeria can feed her citizens, the almost N20 trillion we spend annually importing food will be greatly reduced and the savings from there can be used for more development. When that time comes, instead of receiving food donations from countries like the war-torn Ukraine, we too can help other nations. Gradually, this country can regain its glory, the old glory of being the giant of Africa. We hope, we believe because we are involved!
To achieve this the government would need to continue to up its game, be consistent and pay attention to details where implementation of agricultural policies is concerned. To start with, the administration of President Tinubu must consider a thorough review of the financial allocation to the sector. In the 2024 budget the sector got about 1.5 percent of the budget! That is rather low, considering the much-touted commitment to the drive for food security in the country. It is also a negation of the pledge “to deploy concessionary capital/funding” to the all-important sector. The less than two percent allocation is also a violation of the Maputo Declaration, endorsed by Nigeria, which prescribed 10 percent of the national budget for the agriculture sector. Not even the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF is happy about that meagre sum. Professor Abba Gambo, its senior agricultural advisor lamented, “With an all-time high food inflation rate at 31.5 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, and the lingering security challenges in the core food basket states, the hope to end food insecurity in Nigeria has been dimmed.” Much as we share the concerns of Professor Gambo, we do not share his verdict that hope is lost. For aside from efforts of the government at the centre, the sub-nationals too appear to have shown more than a passing interest in the development of agriculture in their domains. The NGF as a body should, therefore, not give the impression that all depends on the federal government. The governors should also allocate more funds to agriculture, rather than criticise the federal government for not giving enough money to agricultural development. After all, they own the land, they should take the initiative in what the land is used for. Agriculture is one such thing that we prescribe for them.
We take judicious notice of concerted efforts to encourage women and youth in the agriculture sector. But the authorities must address concerns about underdeveloped value chain, lack of inclusiveness particularly in policy implementation, the difficulties encountered by farmers like the inability to access low interest loans, lack of farm inputs like fertiliser and tractors as well as insecurity and poor implementation of policy objectives.
The authorities must address concerns about underdeveloped value chain, lack of inclusiveness particularly in policy implementation, the difficulties encountered by farmers like the inability to access low interest loans, lack of farm inputs like fertiliser and tractors as well as insecurity and poor implementation of policy objectives.
It is not enough for the government to roll out the programmes of action, it must also watch those assigned to implement the policies, preferably using people in the private sector. This administration cannot afford to fail in the move to battle food insecurity in the country and also put the economy back on its feet.
As for us at BushLink, from the little that we have seen, we will keep hope alive, believing that the Tinubu administration can turn around the fortunes of this country, until it proves us wrong.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
BushLink will publish, from time to time, comments on issues on agriculture, food and nutrition, as they affect Nigeria and Nigerians. Some of the issues will be on the policy initiatives of governments, at the national and the sub-national levels, their impact on the growth of natural resources (on the farms and the mining sites) and the health of the nation in general.