In a bold move to tackle the prevailing food insecurity, the Federal Government has proposed investing N1 billion in selected polytechnics and universities in the country in the second quarter of 2025. The institutions to benefit from the offer are those already into agriculture to enable them ensure food security through farming.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the disclosure during a recent visit to the Epe Campus of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, one of the scheduled beneficiary institutions. The minister, while encouraging tertiary institutions with agriculture departments to establish mechanized farms and engage in livestock farming, said the initiative will provide students with hands-on training and help them develop key skills needed for life after graduation
He acknowledged agriculture as a key sector that must be integrated into academic and research frameworks by institutions to address rising food insecurity, create jobs, and stimulate the economy. Agriculture, he admitted, has the potential to be the cornerstone of Nigeria’s economy, adding that the involvement of colleges and universities is critical in achieving the goal. Alausa called on tertiary institutions in Nigeria to prioritize agriculture as the next wave of prosperity for the nation.
Alausa’s remarks came on the heels of the government targeting $1billion agricultural investment and 500,000 jobs by 2027 from the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme. Part of the SAPZ programme in this direction is the Federal Government plans to construct and rehabilitate 190 feeder roads at farm levels, thereby reducing post-harvest losses within the catchment areas. The agenda equally entails training and empowering 100,000 farmers in climate-smart agriculture by 2027.
In the interim, the sum of N826.5 billion has been allocated to agriculture in the 2025 proposed budget, signaling a transformative approach to revitalizing the sector, bolstering food security and generating mass employment. The allocation indicates over 100 per cent increase from N362.94 billion in 2024 and N228.4 billion in 2023. Capital allocations also rose by 130 per cent compared to that last year.
In the budget proposal, President Bola Tinubu stated that food security is non-negotiable, adding that the government is taking bold steps to ensure that every Nigerian can feed conveniently. The pledge by the Agriculture Minister and assurances by the President are commendable. With an estimated population of over 220 million and an annual growth rate of 2.1 per cent, Nigeria is under increasing pressure to enhance its food production capabilities.
The danger posed by food insecurity requires the government to devise all possible means to address it. On December 18 and 21, 2024, 67 vulnerable Nigerians were stampeded to death and many injured as they struggled for palliatives at food centres in Ibadan, Oyo State; Abuja and Okija, Anambra State.
Before the accidents, many Nigerians including the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and his predecessor, Ahmed Lawan, had described the food situation in the country as an emergency that needed urgent action. Lawan particularly warned, “It is time that we take every possible action together with the government to ensure that food flows in our country”.
Agriculture holds a lot of promises for the nation. The sector is the highest employer of labour in the country. It contributes between 22 per cent and 26 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while employing over 70 per cent of the population, particularly in the rural areas. This is in addition to ensuring food security and import substitution, among others.
Investment in agriculture has multiple effects. It will boost the economy, create jobs, improve foreign exchange earnings for the country and drive the process towards diversification. There is no doubt that the government has put some measures in place to address the food challenge in the country. Let the promises by the minister of agriculture be matched with relevant actions. A boost to agriculture in polytechnics and universities will make the institutions self-reliant in food production for local consumption and export. The initiative will keep students and graduates of the affected institutions gainfully employed and take them out of the streets.
Besides the monetary incentives to the selected polytechnics and universities, the government should create the enabling environment for local and foreign investors in agriculture. There is need for adequate security for the farmers to be able to access their farms. While encouraging massive food production in these universities, polytechnics and even colleges of agriculture is a good move, ensuring adequate food security requires large-scale mechanized farming by the private sector operators as being done in the United States, China and other advanced economies.
