A cross section of Benue state participants at the ongoing 2-day sensitization workshop on the role of Local Government at enhancing the capacity of the grassroots to maximize the benefits of the federal government food security emergency programme holding in Abuja
By Andrew Oota
The Federal Government has said it will ensure that henceforth, Nigeria will consume her products as well as produce what it consumes with the view to ending information of consumable items and remove the country from the list of dumping nations.
To actualize this ,the federal government have commenced engagement and support for the Local Governments across the country on good governance and development as cardinal to the attainment of Nigeria’s development agenda to achieve the food security agenda of the present administration .
Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Senator George Akume states this at the ongoing 2-day sensitization workshop on the role of the local government at enhancing the capacity of the grassroots to maximize the benefits of the Federal government food security emergency programme in Abuja .
The SGF maintained that the federal Government is not unaware of the challenges faced by Local Governments across the nation with regards to Agricultural resources, adding that “I made bold to say that the Office of the SGF under my leadership is poised and disposed to providing the needed leadership necessary for sustainable initiatives that will cascade down to the grassroots in the overall interest of the country ”
He continued , ” the food security sensitization programme is designed to create a forum for Local Government stakeholders to interface with the drafters and implementers of the food security emergency programme put in place by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Nigeria has no reason to import from any other nations of the world to meet it’s food needs. We have enough fertile land and able bodied men and materials to cultivate the land and grow our crops to meet our food requirements . As the giant of Africa , we need to get up from our slumber and grow what we eat and eat what we grow “.
In his opening remarks the Chief Executive of SEGNIP Promotions Limited, Engineer Kayode Adegbayo, organizing partners of the on-going workshop assured that the resource persons assembled for the event are some of the best brains that will impact the participants the requisite knowledge they need to drive the food security agenda of their present administration.
Engineer Adegbayo maintained that the local government are the bedrock of agricultural resources and the moment the Government gets it right with the local governments , the country would have set itself up for huge agricultural success and effortlessly end food importation .
Responding to the effect of the workshop ,the Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria ,ALGON in Benue state ,Honourable Phillips Achuwa said Benue state as the good basket of the nation have the potential to feed a substantial part of the country if the agricultural challenges faced by the farmers are addressed .
He pointed out that the state Governor Reverend Fr. Hyacinth Alia has demonstrated commitment in ensuring that the state achieves food sufficiency and that at the level of the Local Governments, all council chairmen fully understands the state Government’s vision ,that of the Federal Government to curb food insecurity and are doing everything possible to make it a huge success.
According to Achuwa ,” we have the land, the climate and the man-power. We have a Governor that is willing to make Benue a better place and we will ensure we are the first state to prove to the country that we are ready to contribute to ending food insecurity in Nigeria “.
