In a significant move to address Nigeria’s escalating food security crisis and rising food costs, the Presidency has inaugurated the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU). The unit, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, includes state governors, local government representatives, development partners, and other key stakeholders. It is tasked with coordinating all agricultural activities across the nation.
The inauguration, conducted at the behest of President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, underscores the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to the country’s food insecurity. According to a statement from Stanley Nkwocha, spokesperson for Vice President Shettima, the Vice President emphasized the severity of the crisis.
“The nation is facing a rare food security crisis and the sooner we come to terms with the reality, the better,” Shettima stated. “Food insecurity endangers the very basis of our democratic experiment and this is why all hands have to be on deck. We are in a food security crisis, but it also provides us the opportunity to re-engineer and reposition the nation on a firmer footing.”
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Several state governors at the meeting praised the initiative as timely and necessary to address the current situation.
This development comes in the wake of soaring food prices in Nigeria, with the inflation rate now at 33.69 percent. Stakeholders attribute the crisis to multiple factors, including insecurity, with armed groups disrupting agricultural activities in key food-producing regions.
In response, President Tinubu had declared an emergency on food security about a year ago. He stressed the need for urgent collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure year-round irrigation and food production.
“There must be an urgent synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is produced all year round,” President Tinubu was quoted as saying. He also pledged to “engage our security architecture to protect the farms and the farmers so that farmers can return to the farmlands without fear of attacks.”
The PFSCU is seen as a critical step towards stabilizing food prices and ensuring food security for all Nigerians.
