Abuja: Agricultural Agenda Nigeria Initiative (AANI), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has called on the government to treat agriculture as a national rescue strategy for economic recovery, peace, and rural prosperity. Mr Ephraim Audu, National President of AANI, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday in commemoration of the 2025 World Food Day.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Audu emphasized that to achieve this, the government must take bold, coordinated, and farmer-centered actions to reposition agriculture as a key driver of economic growth and national stability. He highlighted that with no fewer than 70 percent of rural households relying on farming for their livelihood, agriculture remains the most powerful tool for lifting millions out of poverty. Despite its potential, Nigeria continues to face rising food inflation, declining productivity, insecurity in farming communities, and heavy reliance on food imports.
Audu stated that agriculture should not be treated merely as a development project or a poverty alleviation tool; instead, it must be recognized and treated as a national security and economic recovery strategy. He pointed out that Nigeria has signed several major global and continental commitments, such as the African Union’s Maputo and Malabo Declarations to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), yet continues to fall short in implementation.
AANI demands that Nigeria move from policy signatures to policy enforcement, from rhetoric to resource allocation, and from political speeches to farmer-centered action. To unlock agriculture’s potential, Audu urged the government to focus on strategic policy directions including designating food security as a national security priority. This could be achieved by establishing an integrated command mechanism linking relevant ministries and agencies.
He also suggested that safe farming zones must be designated through negotiated local peace accords with traditional institutions, security agencies, and conflict actors. This coordinated protection of rural food systems will rebuild confidence among farmers and ensure uninterrupted production. Additionally, he advocated for investment in climate-resilient irrigation and flood management infrastructure by expanding the irrigation footprint and promoting water harvesting.
Audu stressed the need for the government to provide inclusive financing and structured market access for smallholders by transitioning to structured input-credit and off-taker models. He proposed that the Central Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Agriculture, and NIRSAL should harmonize their lending frameworks to eliminate duplication and establish a traceable, performance-based lending and recovery system.
He further recommended ensuring gender and youth inclusion by enforcing minimum quotas for women and youth participation, and providing access to land, mechanization, and digital tools. Audu also proposed the establishment of a national coordination council to bring together all agricultural and food system actors under one strategic direction.
He concluded that if these recommendations were executed with discipline and sustained, Nigeria could restore food sovereignty, stimulate inclusive economic growth, and lift millions of farmers out of poverty. This would also lead to a reduction in import dependency, savings in foreign exchange, stabilization of domestic food inflation, and the creation of new industries and jobs.
Audu emphasized that the government must prioritize agriculture, treat farmers as economic partners, and ensure policy discipline and sustained implementation. He asserted that Nigeria has all it takes to feed itself and the world, but only if leaders act with urgency and unity. “The time for decisive transformation is now,” he stated.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that World Food Day is celebrated worldwide on October 16 to commemorate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945. The theme of the 2025 World Food Day is ‘Hand in Hand for Better Foods and Better Future.’