As Nigeria faces a looming food and nutrition crisis projected to affect over 33.1 million citizens by August 2025, the Federal Government has urged academic institutions to transform unused lands into food production hubs.
This call was made by Barrister Yejide Ogundipe, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Food Security, while delivering a speech titled ‘Food Security and the Role of Research Institutions in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’ at a quarterly meeting of provosts from national agricultural research institutes.
Ogundipe expressed concern that despite Nigeria’s vast agricultural potential, the nation continues to struggle with food insecurity. She lamented that potential alone does not fill empty stomachs, emphasising the need to move from theoretical to practical agriculture.
“Agricultural education institutions should extend their focus beyond production and provide training on post-harvest management solutions to reduce food losses and improve food availability,” Ogundipe said.
She highlighted that academic institutions in Nigeria have vast unused lands that could be repurposed as food production and processing hubs. Ogundipe proposed involving undergraduates and local youth in farming activities while adopting modern agricultural practices and tools. According to her, this initiative would provide food for university residents and host communities while cultivating skilled agricultural practitioners.
Despite agriculture’s critical role in the economy, she noted that productivity remains low, hindered by challenges such as insecurity, climate change, and outdated farming methods. She urged relevant agricultural institutions to synergise rather than operate in silos, warning that food security is not merely a policy agenda but a national imperative.
“Through collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to progress, we can transform agriculture into a thriving and sustainable sector that guarantees food for every Nigerian. Let us work together to turn our agricultural potential into reality,” she stated.
Ogundipe further noted that President Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated a strong political will by making food security a core priority under his ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’. Key steps include declaring a state of emergency on food security on July 13, 2023, renaming the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and creating the Office of the SSA on Food Security to drive policy integration and sustainable food production.
The President of the National Committee of Agricultural Research Institutes and Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Dr Fadiyimu Akinyemi, lamented the neglect of agricultural colleges in terms of funding and institutional support. He questioned why universities and polytechnics receive intervention funds while agricultural colleges remain overlooked.
“A rare opportunity for private funding arose in 2023 when an individual proposed a research centre, but bureaucracy has stalled the initiative. Despite their hands-on approach, they remain underfunded, unrecognised, and institutionally invisible,” Akinyemi said.
The Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, Garba Sharubutu, praised the Tinubu administration’s efforts to prioritise food security. He pledged to support initiatives that enhance agricultural innovation and productivity.
Stakeholders at the meeting called for increased funding, sustainable policy implementation, and collaborative efforts, expressing optimism that addressing these issues would boost the agricultural sector’s performance and contribute to food security.