VP Shettima Inaugurates Unit to Combat Food Insecurity

Vice President Kashim Shettima has launched the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU) to tackle the rising commodity prices and overall food insecurity in the nation.

The inauguration followed a presentation by Marion Moon, Technical Assistant to the President on Agriculture, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

A statement from Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Office of the Vice President, highlighted Senator Shettima’s remarks that the current food crisis offers an opportunity to reform and strengthen the nation’s agricultural foundation.

Speaking to a group that included governors, cabinet ministers, and representatives of development partners, Senator Shettima emphasized the severity of the food security crisis and the need for a collective effort. “Food insecurity endangers the very basis of our democratic experiment, and this is why all hands have to be on deck. We are in a food security crisis, but it also provides us the opportunity to re-engineer and reposition the nation on a firmer footing,” he said.

The Vice President noted that the Green Imperative Program, a government-initiated, private sector-driven agricultural industrialization effort, is a key initiative for the PFSCU to ensure food sufficiency.

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, stressed the importance of a coordinated approach to tackling food insecurity, citing low productivity and population growth. He called for investments in commercial agriculture, better funding, and enhanced security for farmers.

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, whose state is set to pilot the food security initiative, announced that the state had invested over N100 billion in agricultural mechanization, with 5,000 tractors and 20 pilot irrigation systems available.

Dominique Kouacou, Country Representative of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), speaking on behalf of donors, pledged support for the Federal Government’s efforts to address food insecurity.

Also present at the meeting were Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari; Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi; National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Honourable Maifata Aminu Mu’azu; and Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Muhammed Abu Ibrahim.

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