Insecurity Causing Agricultural Decline, Farmers Displacement, Poor Yield – Reps Speaker

 

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has lamented the impact of insecurity on food production in Nigeria, saying the country has recorded a decline in the agricultural sector.

 

Speaker Abbas, who noted that other factors such as rural-urban migration, dependence on oil and climate change have also posed threats to the country’s food security, warned against the quick-money syndrome among young Nigerians.

 

The Speaker spoke at the 22nd Daily Trust Dialogue held in Abuja on Thursday. He was represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Food and Nutrition, Hon. Chike Okafor.

 

He said: “I believe that we must collectively strive to enhance agricultural production, lower costs, and build the infrastructure needed for the agricultural and allied sectors to thrive. I do not believe that food security is a privilege. It is a fundamental right. No citizen of our dear country should go to bed hungry because of the contest between availability and affordability.

 

“With the right focus, which is now being driven by the renewed hope programme and keenly supported by our legislative agenda, I firmly believe that food insecurity in Nigeria will become history. We are not far from achieving this. I therefore expect that the robust discussion here today will enrich us with actionable points that will help our resolve to collectively address the issue of food insecurity in our country.

 

“For us in the House of Representatives, we are ready to partner with the media on any legislation that may arise from this dialogue to ensure food security in Nigeria.”

 

Speaker Abbas noted that he was impressed with the theme of the dialogue, which is ‘Food Security: Availability or Affordability?’

 

“With the saying that hunger is an injustice in a world of abundance, this topic could not have been timelier. The issues for interrogation, and for which we must find answers here, are relevant and timely as Nigeria continues to grapple with high inflation, which significantly impacts the purchasing power of citizens and exacerbates food insecurity,” he said.

 

Speaker Abbas also noted that the issues about food security also align with the Legislative Agenda of the 10th House where the members place emphasis on the diversification of the economy through agricultural development to guarantee food security and self-sufficiency.

 

The Speaker noted that the theme clearly captures the question that agitates the minds of many Nigerians today.

 

He said: “We cannot effectively discuss issues impacting poor agricultural yield and food insecurity in Nigeria without a mention of the devastating effect of insecurity across the country on the farming communities especially. Insecurity in Nigeria has led to a decline in agricultural productivity, displacement of farmers and poor yield.

 

“Today, the Federal Government is making every possible effort to address this and ensure that farmers return to their communities and lands because the decline in productivity leads to food shortages and economic loss for both the country and the farmers.

 

“Insecurity has also made it difficult for Nigeria to achieve its national goal of becoming a hunger-free nation, as displaced farmers can no longer farm and those who farm are stopped from harvesting their crops. In some parts of the country, non-state actors hold farmers to ransom and ask for all manner of taxes before they are allowed to harvest their crops.”

 

While pointing out that it is crucial to recognise that food insecurity “has long been a challenge in Nigeria,” Speaker Abbas said it was driven by factors such as general insecurity, unavailable infrastructure to scale up production, and economic instability.

 

He added: “However, the greatest culprit has been years of diverted focus from the agricultural sector. These are years when we, as a nation, moved focus from agriculture and its potential to drive the national economy and focus more on the petroleum sector.”

 

The Speaker decried that today, regardless of the country’s fertile arable land, which is estimated to cover an area of 36.9 million hectares, it’s large and young population, and efforts by past administrations to rejuvenate the agricultural sector, the sector still contributes under 30 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

 

“This does not only have economic implications but also consequences for our national food security,” he stated.

 

Pointing out that one significant factor that cannot be ignored is the role of climate change, Speaker Abbas noted that climate change has caused unpredictable weather patterns impacting negatively on food production, and disrupting agricultural activities, leading to reduced crop yields.

 

Another critical reality that the country must confront, the Speaker stated, is the rapid and ongoing shift toward urban migration. He said: “This trend, while reflective of broader global patterns, presents unique challenges for our nation, particularly in the agricultural sector.”

 

With the majority of farming in Nigeria still heavily reliant on manual labour, Speaker Abbas said the “exodus of able-bodied individuals to cities has led to a sharp decline in the rural workforce,” adding that, “This not only hinders our ability, as a people, to cultivate and harvest crops efficiently but also threatens food security and economic stability in rural communities.”

 

He stressed: “Furthermore, the dwindling interest in agriculture among the youthful population, who are increasingly drawn to urban opportunities, exacerbates the situation. Sadly, these youths are sometimes drawn to quick-money syndrome. I have no doubt that we need a national rebirth to help redirect the minds of many of our youths. Quick money syndrome births more agony for the family and nation than hard work, focus, and consistency do.”

 

On the legislative front, the Speaker noted that economic growth and development is a core component of the 10th House’ Legislative Agenda. He noted that the parliament is paying special attention to economic diversification and agricultural development.

 

“We have articulated challenges such as insecurity, lack of technology, and inadequate funding. But we are not resting on problem identification. We are more proactive in designing solutions. On this, therefore, our proposed solutions involve a multipronged legislative approach, executive willpower, and stakeholder collaboration,” he said.

 

Speaker Abbas added that the House has committed to enacting policies that support farmers with subsidies, access to credit, and modern farming techniques and inputs. He stressed that the lawmakers also aim to develop legislation that promotes digital innovation, data protection and e-commerce, while enhancing Nigeria’s export potential and reducing dependency through unnecessary imports.

 

He said: “We are pushing beyond the limits to ensure massive and transformative collaboration between the government and the private sector in seed production, agro-processing, and infrastructure development. These are critical towards achieving our national vision on food security.

 

“As a legislature, we understand our role in providing the necessary legal frameworks and oversights necessary for these policies to succeed, and we have been doing so.”

 

Noting that most recently, members of the House dedicated most of their constituency projects to agricultural inputs, grains and related interventions which are essential for the livelihood of their constituents, Speaker Abbas said the 2025 budget presently at the National Assembly has the agricultural sector “as one of the sectors with the highest allocation to address critical challenges of food and insecurity.”

 

He stated: “This dialogue on food security is a call to action. This call for action is for all, including the private sector and mostly the young people. In complementing the efforts of the government, we call on the private sector to invest in agriculture.”