Governors from Lagos, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, and Taraba states have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Lagos Offtake Guarantee Fund, a N500 billion agricultural initiative designed to significantly enhance food security in Lagos and across Nigeria.
The participating governors are Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Mr. Ahmed Ododo (Kogi), Mr. Mohammed Umaru Bago (Niger), Mr. Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), and Dr. Agbu Kefas (Taraba).
Persecondnews reports that the governors spoke at the launch of the “Produce for Lagos” Offtake Guarantee Fund, held yesterday at the Lagos House in Ikeja.
During the event, the governors outlined how their respective states would contribute to the success of the Lagos produce programme, emphasizing its benefits not just for Lagos State but for the entire nation.
Abiodun highlighted his administration’s measures to promote agriculture and ensure food security.
He specifically mentioned the creation of a State Farmers’ Information Management System, which allows for easy access to data on farmers’ numbers, locations, produce, and farm sizes.
“This Farmers’ Information Management System is a dashboard that allows us to identify all the farmers in the state. As of today, our state has about 160,000 farmers registered on the dashboard, and we know where they are and what they produce,” he said.
Abiodun further explained that this system provides his administration with precise data on what each farmer in the state cultivates.
This, he noted, has enabled the state to scientifically provide farmers with necessary inputs and fertilizers, contributing to Ogun State having one of the lowest food inflation rates in the country.
Abiodun stressed the importance of the Federal Government initiating similar programs.
He believes such initiatives would be crucial in guaranteeing funds for the growth and development of agriculture nationwide.
“I think what Lagos State has done here is something that the Federal Government should look into by nationalizing and creating some type of sovereign fund to guarantee food offtake.
“I think that is what we should be looking at, and I believe that if the Federal Government were to put in place some funds of this nature, probably a Trillion Naira Food Guarantee Fund, it would spin off the entire landscape and ensure that there is indeed food security and food sovereignty.
“What Lagos State has done is truly laudable and very proactive. I think that it has taken a clue from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative in agriculture, where the plan is to farm over 500 million hectares of land. We saw him launching tractors and over 9,000 farm implements a few weeks ago to underscore his commitment to food sovereignty.
“Ogun State is ready for this funding. We have farmers who are already agitated in a scientific manner, so if you can avail them of the funds, they are disciplined, and they will indeed pay back,” he said.
On the causes of the present high cost of food in the country, the Ogun State helmsman maintained that apart from wastage from farm to market routes, the middlemen syndrome, where food items from Ogun State or Oyo State are tied down at Kara or Ogere by the middlemen waiting for scarcity before releasing the food to the market, making extra profit, also plays a major role.
On his part, Sanwo-Olu said the programme is meant to make food available to Lagosians at an affordable rate, commending President Tinubu for birthing most of the initiatives currently ongoing in the state.
He said the launch of the programme is an attempt to contribute towards the development of the agricultural sector of the country as well as serve as a means of employment for the people.
Contributing, Niger State’s Bago, said his state, known for the production of cattle, is ready to key into the programme by processing meat and transporting it to Lagos and other Southwest states.
Taraba chief executive Kefas said the launching of the programme isn’t just timely but a strategic plan to raise the bar of the agricultural sector of the country.
For Ododo, his state, apart from having arable land for the cultivation of food crops, is also blessed with numerous mineral resources.
He commended President Tinubu for investing heavily in the agricultural sector, adding that agriculture is the solution for addressing the nation’s food challenges.
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