Food security: Obasanjo urges a state-wide agricultural revolution

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged state governments to give agricultural development a higher priority, warning that Nigeria will remain a ticking time bomb until it can feed its own people.

During a courtesy visit to Abeokuta over the weekend, a delegation of Commissioners and Special Advisers from Niger State made this statement, according to Obasanjo.

He pointed out that agricultural projects can have a bigger impact than they did in the past because modern agricultural equipment is now readily available.
During the visit, there was a tour of a state-of-the-art, soulless farm where young Nigeriens were being trained in cutting-edge farming methods that they would later replicate back home.

The previous president commended the governor of Niger State for his efforts to modernise the agriculture industry in the state adding that Governor Umaru Bago’s agricultural initiatives can be likened to his own ‘Operation Feed the Nation” policy of 1976.
In addition to urging other state governors to emulate Niger State's agricultural development efforts to guarantee that Nigeria is able to produce the majority of its food, he stated that agricultural self-sufficiency can help Nigeria escape its current state and enhance the socioeconomic well-being of the populace.

The former president declared his intention to visit Niger State with his team in order to learn from their progress and share ideas in order to enhance and add value to his agricultural endeavours. He also encouraged Niger State to keep investing in agriculture and investigate new ways to improve current practices.

Obasanjo emphasised that new farming methods are necessary to maintain Nigeria's agricultural productivity and encouraged Nigerians to think about investing in soilless farming.