The Emir of Yashikira in Baruten Local Government of Kwara state, Alhaji Umar Usman Sariki has called on governments at all levels to invest heavily in mechanised farming to improve food production in the country.
The monarch made the appeal while speaking in Yashikira during the celebration of the annual Gaani Festival.
According to the first class monarch, both the federal, state and local governments should invest more in agricultural inputs to boost crop production.
This, he noted, will reduce hunger which the country is seriously grappling with adding that the old traditional method of farming can no longer feed the nation.
He said lack of regular meal to the people was responsible for the current security challenges in the country.
Many of the country’s youth, he noted, are unemployed making it difficult to control them when they experience hunger.
The monarch also called on the youths to shun all kinds of social vices and focus on education, vocation learning and genuine trade which will give them a livelihood.
On insecurity, the Emir, who said that rural areas are mostly affected by attacks from insurgents and bandits, urged the Federal government to tackle the challenges headlong.
“Elimination of bandits cannot provide total solution to the problem because even if we were to be successful in that, the problem of youth unemployment will still be with us.”
He called for more unity among the people in the border communities of Nigeria and Benin Republic to foster security and combat smuggling and other criminal activities in the west African region.
