₦airaland Forum

"Tinubu declared state of emergency on food security out of concern for citizens." - Shettima

Vice-President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency on food security was not driven by fear, but by concern for the welfare of Nigerians.

In a statement on Tuesday, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima’s spokesperson, said the vice-president spoke during a panel session on country perspectives at the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Shettima said Tinubu’s “declaration and the broader food strategy” are part of a plan to transform agriculture into a resilient, youth-led, and market-based engine for growth

He said Nigeria cannot claim full sovereignty without food sovereignty, stressing that the president’s action was meant to prioritize the needs of vulnerable communities, particularly in conflict-affected regions.

“Our target is to attain food sovereignty. So long as a nation is not independent in the area of food sovereignty, it remains a non-sovereign nation,” Shettima was quoted as saying.

“His Excellency President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security, not out of fear, but out of genuine concern for the welfare of our people, especially in conflict-driven environments like the North East, where Boko Haram was sowing seeds of discord and destruction.”

Shettima said the government, through the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), is not replacing existing agencies but working to harmonize food security interventions across the country.

He said the administration has begun food support initiatives in the north-east and north-west, noting that long-term resilience must go beyond aid.

“In Africa, we say that when you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him to fish, you empower him for life,” he said. “In our displaced people’s camps, we’re encouraging food production for dignity and resilience.”

The vice-president said the government is investing in improved seeds, extension services, climate-resilient farming techniques and mechanisation to boost agricultural output.

"Subsidy removal must be on calibrated phases, on which the promised gains are measured and confirmed before moving to the next phase of removal.

Government must modify the sudden and complete removal of the subsidy. Either we restore the subsidy or use the funds for other social purposes, If we are to use the funds for other programmes, these programmes shall be placed on parallel track with the subsidy."
(Tinubu's in 2012 when Jonathan wanted to remove subsidy.)

cule7:
Since the declaration, I can't see any efforts by the govt to ensure food security in the next 5 years. Please don't tell me about the commissioned tractors. Who's even the minister of Agric sef

Racoon:
Hehehe! I laugh in my mother tongue.No declearation of SOE on insecurity, executive profligacy/corruption, health/foreign health tourism etc that are draining this nation dry? This is the clueless, incompetent and inept govt talking. Always putting the cart before the horse.

To declare a state of emergency on food prices or to ensure that farmers are able to go to their farms without fear of Fulani herdsmen, which one is more effective?

Same man that suddenly said subsidy is gone with meeting stakeholders in the petroleum sector thereby leading to inflationary changes thereby not just causing food insecurity but also food inflation. I have never seen a Govt inflict so much pains on Nigerians in a very short space of time.

Racoon:
So what has happened now? How has it been beneficial to the common man? What ought to be done was that subsidy shall be removed in phases.

He has not even spent one day in office when itchy, nervy and impulsive, he decleared that "subsidy is gone." No meeting with relevant stakeholders, yet he has already announced the policies of subsidy removal and unification of exchange rate.

No amount of intervention can atone for his hasty unguided totalitarian decision of removing subsidy in one swoop. You can never put the cart before the horse and expect progress. It is one thing to be intelligent to rig elections and another thing to have the intelligence to lead a country.

joeyswift:
Tinubu to handle governance
Shettima to handle security
Akpabio to handle Natasha
Agbadorians to handle hunger