A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and one of its aspirants in the 2023 election, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has called on the Federal Government to expedite action against insecurity in the country to avert a prolonged hunger crisis.
According to him, the vast opportunities in the agricultural sector is limited by many factors, including climate change and the rising insecurity in farm lands across the country.
A statement by his Senior Special Assistant, Media and Communication Strategy, Oluwasegun Abifarin, said Olawepo-Hashim, a frontline politician, businessman and presidential candidate of the Trust Party (TP) in the 2019 election, raised the observations at the 27th annual convention and the 26th annual lecture series of the Alumni Association of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
He quoted the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as saying that between 2022 and 2024, about half a million farmers were displaced, leading to a loss of over N2 trillion.
In the Middle Belt, he said study further revealed that a drop of over 70 per cent in farming activities had led to shortages of maize crops and yam, while the Institute of Peace Study revealed that in 2024, over 3,500 cases of kidnapping occurred in Nigeria.
Olawepo-Hashim said, “Apart from the above urgent issues, there are other issues that have fairly been around for a while undermining agricultural productivity and prosperity in the sector.
“Poor Infrastructure and Market Access Poor road networks hinder timely delivery of farm produce to markets. The African Development Bank (AFDB) notes that post-harvest losses in Nigeria exceed $9 billion annually, primarily due to inadequate transportation and storage.”
The activist also spoke on the role of Alumni Associations to national development.
“Alumni Association all over the world serve the same or similar purpose including providing a platform for networking and supporting the development and advancement of their alma maters”, he said.
He however argued that only a minority target agriculture despite its critical economic role.
“Membership and Economic Power Nigeria’s top Alumni Associations collectively represent over five million members. 15% of alumni are engaged in agribusiness and food-related industries”, he said.
Other dignitaries at the event include Dapo Are, the SA to former Governor Ibikunle Amosun; Global President of the Association, Bolaji Gbadamosi; Prof Tunde Kehinde, Vice Chancellor of
FUNAB; Kehinde Jokotoye, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture who represented the State Commissioner of Agriculture and Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, a member of House of Representative for Yewa North, Imeko and Afon Constituency.
Others are His Royal Highness Oba Abdulrasheed Banjo, the Olokini of Ejowo, Ijebu Igbo; Prof Ayoola Akinwole, Chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter.