The House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has urged security agencies to ensure farmers and their farms are protecred across Nigeria.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Chike Okafor, in his presentation in the ongoing National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security under the subject; “Securing Our Farms, Safeguarding Our Future” on Thursday said “Nigeria’s agricultural sector, the backbone of our economy and primary source of livelihood for millions, is under siege.”
The lawmaker lamented that “farmers face relentless threats; banditry, kidnapping, herder-farmer conflicts, and vandalism of irrigation infrastructure, which have stifled productivity and exacerbated food inflation. The result? Over 40% of farmlands in conflict-prone regions lie fallow, while millions face malnutrition.”
In his submissions, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Olufemi Oloyede said that open grazing is no longer feasible in Nigeria, tasking the National Assembly to back ranching across the country.
Represented by the Executive Director of the Nigeria Army Farms and Ranching Limited, Maj. General Niyi Dare, he said “before we talk of peace, there must be food. We must first of all identify the crisis in our hands; the farmers vs herders clashes, and other insecurity.
