ABUJA – Vice President Kashim Shettima has said nations cannot claim to be independent or enjoy true sovereignty, if they lack the ability to guarantee food sufficiency for citizens.
He said the need for food sustainability informed Nigeria’s targeted reforms to attain food sovereignty in the last few years.
The vice president aired his position during a panel session on Country Perspectives: Government-led Strategies and Regional Frameworks during the UN Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“So long as a nation is not independent in the area of food sovereignty, it remains a non-sovereign nation,” the VP said.
He recalled how President Bola Tinubu on assuming office in 2023, met a fragile food system worsened by insecurity, climate shocks, and inflationary pressures.
According to the vice president, global stakeholders must deepen cooperation with Nigeria in rebuilding sustainable and inclusive food systems across Africa.
“True national sovereignty is incomplete without food sovereignty,” he noted. He said the Nigerian government has designed a comprehensive strategy to address food security challenges, which mostly impact vulnerable citizens in conflict-affected regions.
Shettima equally said President Tinubu’s bold national strategy, including the declaration of a state of emergency on food security and the rollout of systemic reforms, was aimed at transforming agriculture into a resilient, youth-driven, market-based engine of economic growth.
“His Excellency President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security, not out of fear, but out of genuine concern for the welfare of our people, especially in conflict-driven environments like the North East, where Boko Haram was sowing seeds of discord and destruction,” he stated.
He explained that with 25 million vulnerable people across fragile regions, the government adopted coordinated policy measures, including the creation of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), not to displace existing institutions, but to harmonise all food security interventions.
“We have also initiated food support mechanisms in the North East and North West. But we believe charity is not the answer.
In Africa, we say that when you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him to fish, you empower him for life.
In our displaced people’s camps, we’re encouraging food production for dignity and resilience,” he added.
The vice president stressed that Nigeria’s agricultural transformation strategy must be market-driven, powered by entrepreneurship and innovation.
“Our belief is that agriculture should be market-driven. The whole mantra is about increasing yields. Entrepreneurial capitalism is embedded in the psyche of the average Nigerian,” he noted.
To achieve this, he said the government is investing in improved seeds, extension services, climate-resilient farming, and mechanisation.
“We are reinforcing our extension services so that our farmers can get up-to-date information on rainfall patterns and how to manage the climate shocks ravaging our part of the world,” he said.
