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Atiku advises Nigerian govt, states to establish food security taskforce
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubukar, has urged the Federal and States governments to establish a Food Securityt Military Taskforce to provide security for the nation’s farmers.
Mr Atiku gave the advice while reacting to the warning given by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations on Wednesday, July 29, 2021, of a looming acute food crisis in Northern Nigeria, explained that such warning should not be ignored.
In a statement he issued on Friday, titled “Let Us Address This Looming Food Crisis Before It Becomes a Calamity”, the former vice president noted that the dire warning should be seen and heard as a whistleblowing moment that ought to draw the focus of the Federal Government, being that Northern Nigeria is the food basket of the nation.
He noted that any famine in Northern Nigeria will have a national impact on the rest of the country and cross border impacts in the West African sub-region.
According to Mr Atiku, the laissez-faire approach taken by the Federal Government to this most important issue is regrettable.
He said: “Food security is a vital part of national security, and where this issue is not resolved, the resultant crisis may unsettle the nation and her immediate neighbours.
“Now is the time to proffer solutions, so that our countrymen and women do not starve in a land with so much prospective abundance,” the statement read in part.
While suggesting ways on how to avoid the looming crisis, he explained that the major cause of the present and looming dearth of food is insecurity.
Farmers and other agricultural value chain workers, according to him, cannot go to their farms due to the crisis of insecurity.
“I should know. I am heavily invested in large-scale farming, and employ a workforce of over 10,000 in the endeavour.
“What ought to happen is that the Federal and State governments should establish a Food Security Military Taskforce to work in farming clusters, to provide security for the nation’s farmers. We must give confidence to our agriculture workers, so that the sector can get on with the job of feeding the nation.
“In addition to this, the Federal and State governments ought to place a temporary moratorium on all loans to the agricultural sector in the affected states, by declaring a Force Majeure in the sector.
“We cannot expect small, medium and large scale farmers to service debts when they are not even able to access their farms and other businesses in the agricultural value chain.
“Thirdly, the Federal Government has to intervene by providing free seedlings and fertilisers to the end users.
“This is a policy that worked to reduce hunger levels in Nigeria when Dr Akinwumi Adesina introduced the e-wallet policy. Perhaps it is time to reintroduce and ramp up that scheme.
“If we cannot feed ourselves as a nation, we do not survive. This is the textbook definition of an emergency.
‘It is my hope that we can remove politics from this vital area of our national life and address this crisis before it becomes a calamity,” Mr Atiku added.
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Tinubu Urges United Front on Development as Africa’s Sovereign Wealth Funds Gather in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Monday called for greater regional cooperation and coordinated action among African countries to unlock transformative development across the continent.
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Africa Sovereign Investors Forum (ASIF) in Abuja, the President said sovereign wealth funds must evolve from passive fiscal buffers into proactive tools for continental transformation.
“Our future lies not in working in silos but in pursuing regional cooperation and collective ambition,” Tinubu said while declaring the forum open. “Our sovereign wealth funds must become the anchors for pan-African investment platforms that de-risk projects, standardise processes and deliver sustainable outcomes at scale. This is not just a strategy. This is a necessity.”
The forum, hosted by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), had the theme: “Leveraging African Sovereign Wealth Funds to Mobilise Global Capital for Transformative Development in Africa.”
President Tinubu emphasized the need for Africa to adapt to a rapidly transforming global economy by rethinking investment strategies to close infrastructure gaps, build climate resilience, and create jobs for the continent’s fast-growing youth population.
“Africa faces a development dilemma: limited fiscal space, growing expectations, and urgent demands for long-term capital,” the President noted. “There can be no greater inspiration to re-imagine how we invest in setting up critical infrastructure, strengthening our climate resilience, promoting food security, supporting MSMEs, or embracing digital economy to create jobs and expand opportunity.”
He lauded NSIA as a model institution, describing it as “a catalyst in our national quest” to unlock growth in renewable energy, healthcare, agriculture, and more.
Tinubu added that ASIF provided a much-needed pan-African mechanism for sovereign funds to “share knowledge, co-invest across borders and speak with a unified voice in the global financial ecosystem.”
Also speaking at the event, Managing Director of NSIA, Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the forum was expected to lay the groundwork for African sovereign funds to co-create sustainable investment vehicles capable of attracting global capital.
“We want to strike the right balance between risk-taking and conservative wealth management,” he said. “And we aim to position ourselves as preferred strategic partners for global investors looking for credible exposure in Africa.”
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, highlighted capital mobilisation, cross-border collaboration, and policy alignment as key priorities for driving long-term development across the continent.
President of AfreximBank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, underscored the importance of investing Africa’s sovereign wealth within the continent, stressing that domestic markets must be strengthened to shape Africa’s developmental future.
Chairman of ASIF, Mr. Obaid Amrane, said the forum had made significant strides in its three years of existence and would continue to champion Africa’s global investment positioning.
Delivering a rousing address, renowned Pan-African scholar Prof. P.L.O. Lumumba called on African leaders to prioritise investments for future generations.
“It is an intergenerational duty for political and economic leaders on the continent to cater for unborn generations,” Lumumba said. “Africa’s resources are inexhaustible. The time to invest in our future is now.”
With a convergence of policymakers, development financiers, and investment leaders, the ASIF meeting in Abuja signalled a united determination to rethink Africa’s path to development—driven not by aid, but by African capital working for African progress.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will on June 17, inaugurate the newly upgraded Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, Zamfara.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rescheduled his planned official visit to Kaduna State and will instead travel to Benue State on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, to address the persistent conflict rocking parts of the state.
According to a statement issued on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the visit is part of renewed efforts by the Tinubu administration to foster peace and restore stability to communities affected by the recurring violence in Benue.
President Tinubu is expected to engage directly with stakeholders—including traditional rulers, political leaders, religious figures, community heads, and youth groups—during a town hall meeting aimed at identifying lasting solutions to the crisis, which has claimed numerous lives and displaced many residents.
In a show of urgency and commitment, the President has already deployed high-level officials to Benue ahead of his visit. These include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, the National Security Adviser, and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees.
President Tinubu has previously condemned the ongoing violence in Benue, urging all sides to embrace peace, mutual understanding, and unity. He also extended condolences to families who have lost loved ones and those who have suffered due to the prolonged conflict.
Originally scheduled to visit Kaduna State on Wednesday to commission several state government projects, President Tinubu will now carry out the Kaduna leg of his itinerary on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Tinubu Urges United Front on Development as Africa’s Sovereign Wealth Funds Gather in Abuja
2nd Year Anniversary: Obasanjo storms Zamfara for projects inauguration
Tinubu Postpones Kaduna Trip, Heads to Benue Over Escalating Crisis
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