In a bold move to tackle the escalating food security crisis, the Nigerian Presidency has inaugurated the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU), a high-level task force aimed at coordinating all agricultural activities in the country.
Chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the PFSCU brings together a formidable team of state governors, local government representatives, development partners, and other key stakeholders, all united in their quest to address the food security crisis and rising food costs in Nigeria.
“The nation is facing a rare food security crisis, and the sooner we come to terms with the reality, the better,” warned Vice President Shettima at the inauguration ceremony held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.
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“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.”
The inauguration of the PFSCU comes at a critical time, as Nigeria grapples with soaring food costs and an inflation rate of 33.69 percent.
The crisis has been exacerbated by insecurity in some of the country’s key agricultural regions, prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on food security about a year ago.
“There must be an urgent synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and guarantee year-round food production,” President Tinubu emphasized.
“We will engage our security architecture to protect the farms and farmers, so that farmers can return to the farmlands without fear of attacks.”
With the PFSCU now in place, Nigeria is poised to tackle the food security crisis head-on, leveraging the collective expertise and resources of its members to ensure food availability, accessibility, and affordability for all citizens.
