President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday urged Nigerians to adopt mechanized farming to address hunger and food insecurity.
Tinubu gave the call during his presidential address to mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day celebration.
Recall In 2023, Nigeria was included among the global “hunger hotspots” by the World Food Programme, a development linked to rising insecurity in agricultural regions and soaring costs of essential farming inputs.
Speaking on the hunger pandemic, the president acknowledged the high cost of living, especially food costs as the central concern of Nigerians today.
He said, “This concern is shared by many around the globe as prices and the cost of living continue to rise worldwide.” The president, however, assured Nigerians that his administration was determined to take positive steps towards getting the country out of the woods. He said, “My fellow Nigerians, be assured that we are implementing many measures to reduce the cost of living here at home.”
In this regard, he gave credit to some state governors who have keyed into the federal government programme to tackle food insecurity in the country. Hear him: “I commend the Governors particularly, in Kebbi, Niger, Jigawa, Kwara, Nasarawa, and the Southwest Governors that have embraced our agricultural production programme. I urge other states to join the Federal Government in investing in mechanised farming.
“We are playing our part by supplying fertiliser and making tractors and other farm equipment available”.
He revealed that the Federal Executive Council had approved the establishment of a local assembly plant for 2000 John Deere tractors. The plant will be ready in six months.
The president urged citizens to foster national unity and build social harmony and cohesion as various policies to stabilise the economy and secure the country are in motion.
