The Nigerian Presidency has launched the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU) to tackle the food security crisis and increasing food prices in the country.
Led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the unit includes state governors, local government officials, development partners, and other important stakeholders, all working together to oversee agricultural activities in Nigeria.
During the inauguration at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, Shettima highlighted the urgent nature of the food security crisis and the necessity for collective action.
“The nation is facing a rare food security crisis, and the sooner we come to terms with the reality, the better,” said Shettima, according to his spokesman Stanley Nkwocha. “Food insecurity endangers the very basis of our democratic experiment, and this is why all hands have to be on deck. We are in a food security crisis, but it also provides us the opportunity to re-engineer and reposition the nation on a firmer footing.”
Several state governors at the event commended the initiative, considering it timely for addressing the current situation in the country.
This initiative follows a significant rise in food prices in Nigeria, with the inflation rate now at 33.69 percent. The crisis is attributed to multiple factors, including insecurity in some of the country’s primary agricultural areas.
In response, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security about a year ago, stressing the need for cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure continuous irrigation and food production.
“There must be an urgent synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and guarantee year-round food production,” Tinubu stated.
He also promised to “engage our security architecture to protect the farms and farmers, so that farmers can return to the farmlands without fear of attacks.”
