As Nigeria prepares for a looming food and nutrition crisis that could affect more than 33 million citizens by August 2025, the Federal Government is urging academic institutions to convert unused lands into food production hubs.
The call was made by Barrister Yejide Ogundipe, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Food Security, during her speech on “Food Security and the Role of Research Institutions in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
She addressed provosts of national committees of agricultural research institutes during their quarterly meeting.
Ogundipe expressed concern over Nigeria’s long-standing status as a nation with “agricultural potential,” emphasizing that “potential alone does not feed people.”
She highlighted the important role agricultural research institutions can play in securing food under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ogundipe stressed that the administration has made agriculture a top priority and demonstrated strong political will to tackle food security challenges.
In her remarks, Ogundipe urged agricultural educational institutions to expand their focus beyond production and include post-harvest management training. This approach would help minimize food waste and improve overall food availability.
“Although agriculture is crucial to our economy, Nigeria still struggles to feed its people,” Ogundipe said. “For decades, we’ve been hailed as a country with great agricultural potential, but potential alone does not fill stomachs.”
Ogundipe also emphasized the need for academic institutions to shift from purely theoretical teaching to practical farming. She suggested that unused lands in Nigerian universities could be turned into food production and processing centers, benefiting both the institutions and their surrounding communities.
While acknowledging the many challenges to agricultural productivity—such as insecurity, climate change, and outdated farming practices—Ogundipe pointed to several measures taken by President Tinubu to address these issues.
These include declaring a state of emergency on food security on July 13, 2023, renaming the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and establishing the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Food Security to oversee policy integration, sustainable food production, and coordination of efforts.
Ogundipe called for greater collaboration between Nigerians and relevant agricultural institutions, stressing that food security is not just a policy issue but a national necessity. “We must harness the expertise of our research institutions to solve Nigeria’s agricultural problems,” she said.
“Through innovation and collective effort, we can create a vibrant, sustainable agricultural sector that guarantees food for every Nigerian.”
Garba Sharubutu, Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), and other stakeholders voiced their support for the administration’s focus on food security. They pledged to work with the government to improve agricultural innovation and productivity.
However, Dr. Fadiyimu Akinyemi, President of the National Committee of Agricultural Research Institutes and Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture in Akure, criticized the neglect of agricultural colleges.
He noted that these institutions struggle with underfunding and lack of institutional support, while other educational institutions, like universities and polytechnics, receive financial interventions.
Akinyemi also pointed out that agricultural colleges do not benefit from TETFund funding and face difficulties accessing loans or private investments, making it hard for them to improve productivity.
Despite their hands-on approach to agriculture, these colleges remain underfunded and largely overlooked in national policy.
Participants in the meeting agreed that increasing government and donor funding, implementing sustainable policies, and fostering genuine collaboration will be essential in revitalizing Nigeria’s agricultural colleges and, ultimately, the country’s agricultural sector.
