Food Security” Return to agriculture to save Nigeria – Uzodinma
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has advocated that Nigeria should revert to making agriculture the mainstay of her economy to save the nation from her current economic woes and stunted national development.
Governor Uzodinma attributed Nigeria’s current economic experience to the switch from agriculture to oil as the mainstay of her economy, maintaining that agriculture holds the key to the country’s development.
The Governor, while delivering the 12th Convocation Lecture of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), explained that crude oil was exhaustible but any investment in agriculture would have multiplier effect on the economy and hasten national development.
He insisted that if the country embraces agriculture and funds it adequately, the sector would provide the food security the country needs to be a true sovereign nation, adding that national development is measured by the capacity of a country to enhance its citizen’s standard of living.
Governor Uzodinma’s lecture was titled: “Agriculture and National Development In a Diversified Economy: A Vision of Renewed Hope Through Town And Gown Entrepreneurial Partnerships,” and was delivered on his behalf by the Imo State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Victor Nwachukwu.
“I am of the view that agriculture remains the basis for national development and national security. A nation that cannot feed itself is not indeed sovereign,” he said.
Senator Uzodinma reminded his audience that it was with agriculture that former Premier of Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, made the region the fastest growing economy in sub-Saharan Africa but lamented that Nigeria did not only abandon agriculture with the discovery of oil but failed to develop agricultural value chain then.
“We adopted petro-dollar and orphaned agri-dollar. A volatile commodity like crude oil quickly toppled agriculture as our biggest source of foreign exchange. Thus we also became a volatile economy at the mercy of a temperamental market. We forgot to develop the agricultural value chain and, therefore, failed to build the muscle to carry our population into industrial development,” he noted.
Although agriculture is still contributing to the country’s Gross Domestic Products, he suggested that a deliberate effort was needed to ensure that it contributes more than it was doing currently.
“The ultimate aim should be to work towards making agriculture replace oil as the mainstay of our economy. Like all non-renewable resources, the oil wells will dry up one day. What will happen to our economy when that day comes,” he queried, rhetorically.
According to the lecturer, agricultural progress and national development are somewhat interwoven because, as he observed, “a country that achieves success in agriculture will most likely fast-track its national development. Agriculture was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy before the discovery and exploration of oil, and we can testify to the steady progress we made during those glorious years,” he asserted.
He equally maintained that a nation that records progress would experience a leap in national development through food security, employment generation, particularly in rural areas, poverty reduction, rural development, social stability; as well as trade and foreign exchange earnings.
“Therefore, agriculture is a fundamental pillar for national development, influencing economic stability, social equity and environmental sustainability,” he submitted.
The Governor advised that Nigeria should explore the potentials of agriculture to drive diversification of the economy which entails, among other things, a transition from subsistence agriculture to processing and manufacturing.
He said that diversification could be achieved through well-articulated and carefully implemented policies that would include short, medium and long term targets.
“The way forward must include the adoption of technology, for example, developing or hybrid species of both crops and animals and mechanization. The government should undertake to provide and subsidize a variety of complementary inputs, such as hybrid seeds, seedlings, and fertilizers, as well as supporting infrastructure such as irrigation and access roads for easy distribution of agricultural outputs,” he suggested, adding that studies have shown that when agriculture grows, it boosts both industry and the overall economy.
Dwelling on the role of Universities of Agriculture in modernizing and making agriculture attractive and profitable, the Governor called on the universities, as agents of agricultural transformation, to lead in research, education and extension services through establishment of Town and Gown Entrepreneurial Partnerships, to prove to many other Nigerians that what they (universities) do in their various institutions has a direct bearing on lives of people, outside the issuance of certificates. He also urged the universities to promote innovation by providing basic knowledge on ways of improving the practice of agriculture.
He added that the universities could play a key role in agricultural development by collaborating with agricultural ministries and research institutes and work with these institutes to identify farming problems, select research topics and secure funding to enable them to find solutions.
According to him, the establishment of Agribusiness Incubation Centre in MOUAU was a step in the right direction.
Furthermore, he said that universities could also invent and develop new equipment that meet the needs of farmers.
“But most importantly, our universities of agriculture can train farmers on new farming techniques such as the use of innovative technologies to improve productivity. For example, we have been noticing some changes in the patterns of rainfall in recent times. The universities have the responsibility to educate the farmers on how to modify their planting season to ensure that the crops are not affected by late onset of the rainy season or dry season. Universities should also introduce farmers to new, improved varieties of crops for planting and should help deal with pest infestations,” he said.
Governor Uzodinma stressed the need to invest more in research because it is a major driver of modern agriculture. “We need to invest more on research and new technologies, improve our rural roads and storage facilities, and build strong agricultural value chains. We need to make sure that our farmers have access to credit and create policies that encourage investment in agriculture. But first, we must give research and innovation their prime places,” he emphasized.
“Research and innovation have been the driving forces behind the incredible advancements we have seen in agriculture. They have led to revolutions in how we farm, dramatically increasing our productivity and shaping the world we live in today.
“The future of agriculture depends on our ability and willingness to keep innovating, keep researching and keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” he added.
Canvassing for adequate funding of agriculture in the country, the Governor recommended the establishment of a specialized research fund. The Lecturer said: “We definitely need to increase funding for agricultural research. A dedicated specialized research fund could be the game changer.
“In this respect, I think it will do the nation a lot of good if we can set up a Tertiary Agricultural Education Research Fund (TAETFUND) for this purpose.
“This should be funded through a law that makes it mandatory for Agro-based corporate infrastructure and industries to pay one percent of their profit as corporate tax to the fund.
“The federal and state governments will contribute an equal ratio to the fund by deducting the equivalent of the total funds raised through the corporate tax to the research fund. This should be deducted from the federation account at 60-40 percent ratio between the federal and state government.”
He commended the federal government for introducing programmes that were making agriculture attractive to the youth, adding that he has been doing same in Imo, with the One Kindred, One Business Initiative (OKOBI) scheme which is drawing the youths back to the farms.
He therefore called on all stakeholders to “embrace agriculture, fund it, research it, and work on it because it will transform Nigeria. It will diversify our economy. It will develop our country beyond our imagination, but above all, will grant us the food security we need to be a true sovereign nation. Let us return to the land and save our nation.”
Chairman of the occasion and Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, represented by Prof. Ike Oluka, regretted that agriculture has fallen below the Dr. Okpara mark, particularly in the South East.
He therefore challenged the South East Governors to raise agriculture to the Okpara level if they could not surpass what the late Premiers achieved in the field of agriculture.
Vice Chancellor of MOUAU, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, thanked the Governor for accepting to deliver the lecture and made presentations to him and his representative
