‘We must secure our forests to achieve food security’

Deputy Commander General of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service in charge of Technical Services, John Metchie, has commended President Bola Tinubu for declaring state of emergency on food security, saying the forests should be secured to achieve the objective.

The president, on Thursday, declared a state of emergency on food security and approved that all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council.⁣

Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, who disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents, said President has directed an immediate release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.⁣

According to him, “We will immediately release fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.⁣ There will be an organic synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the use of water resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is available all years round.”

Tinubu declares state of emergency on food security

NAFDAC partners inspection agents to tackle Nigerian food rejection abroad

Reacting to the development in a statement, Metchie who is also the African Director, International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA), said Tinubu has shown by his policies and declarations that he is a grassroots leader who is abreast with the basic needs of the people.

He said one of the greatest challenges faced by Nigerians is shortage of food, caused partly by insecurity in the farms and forests, adding that the President’s intervention in the very important.

He particularly hailed the President for saying Nigeria must do away with seasonal farming, saying that a country with more than 200 million people cannot afford to rely on seasonal farming but mechanised farming that is all-year round.

In addition to declaring emergency on food security, Metchie said there is a need to secure forests and farms across the country so that the plans of the President to map out hectares of land for farming and grazing would be realized.

He said- “I was delighted when the President’s spokesman, Chief Dele Alake said that the President’s mandate is to create jobs for the teeming youth population and to achieve between five to ten million more jobs within the value chain, “working with the current 500,000 hectares of arable land and the several hundreds of thousands more farmlands to be developed in the medium term.

“I was also pleased when he said that President Tinubu’s administration understands that food and water are the bedrock of survival and therefore is calling on all Nigerians to partner with government in ensuring the success of this strategic intervention.

“For me, one of the most strategic contributions we can make towards the success of the President’s initiatives on food security is to say that Nigeria needs to do more to secure farmlands so that farmers can move freely to and their farms without molestation. This is where the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) come in handy.

“It is gratifying that the two chambers of the National Assembly have passed the Bill for the Service. What remains is for the President to give his presidential assent to the Bill so that it can become law. Already, there are thousands of officers and men of the NHFSS working with the Police and other security agencies in the area of surveillance, information and intelligence gathering, as well as apprehension of criminals within farms and forests across the 36 states and the FCT.

“Many states have recognized and integrated the NHFSS into their security system and the testimonies to the great exploits of NHFSS officers and men are gladdening. The signing of the Bill by the President into law would legally empower operatives of the Service to become more emboldened to confront all forms of crimes and criminalities that are carried out within the forests including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and insurgency, among others,” Metchie said.