Press Releases

Food Security: Fashola Calls For Clear Policies On Agriculture

Jul 24, 2008 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Thursday called on the Federal Government to set very clear policies that would enable banks and financial institutions in the country to invest on agriculture.

Fashola, who spoke at the Eko Hotel and Suites venue of the 19th Meeting of the National Council on Water Resources (NCWR), said the greatest challenge facing the nation today was how to get people back to the farms, advising that the way to go was to make farming productive.

“I believe that a country that is challenged by producing food stands in a very strong contradistinction and contradiction to itself when that same country says it has unemployment”, the Governor said and asked, “How do we get people back to the farms?”.

According to Fashola, “It is an economy. We must put very useful and meaningful subsidy in Agriculture. Nations across the world have done it. We must begin to think of enthroning a regime of commodity boards where government can guarantee purchase of whatever is produced”.

Wondering why in spite of all the resources invested by government in supply and production of fertilizers and farming implements, the banks, with their enormous resources, were not enamored to invest in Agriculture, the Governor declared, “Once government sets very clear policies and enthrone the commodity board regime, I don’t see why any bank should have difficulty in funding farmers, tractors and fertilizers and acquisition of land to mass-produce food.

The Governor, who said there was always a concentric link between Agriculture and industrialization, declared, “ As a people, we must first of all respond not only to increase our food supply but also to be able to use it as a vital source of energy supply for industrialization”, citing China as an example.

Challenging the Meeting to come out with useful suggestions on how to make available pipe borne water all over the country as was the situation in the sixties and seventies, Fashola recommended the model existing in Singapore which, according to him, though has no water resources of its own, is today the world’s leading provider of potable water consulting for both the United States, China and many other European countries.

According to him, “In our effort to increase our capacity to deliver water to our people, especially potable and pipe-borne water, we must increase our capacity, as governments, to protect our people from water-borne diseases. Black Africa and many parts of Nigeria are still ravaged by water-borne diseases like guinea-worms and all of that”.

Describing water as both an asset and liability, Fashola said his administration has responded to the challenge of Ocean surge, adding, “The sea defense wall to protect Victoria Island, Ikoyi and the environs has been completed. The second phase of the development project, which is the reclamation of about 93 million cubic litres of sand that has been lost to erosion has, started and from there will emerge the Eko Atlantic City which will mark the final phase of the protection of this beautiful Island from Ocean surge.”

The Governor later invited the Minister of Water Resources and other dignitaries at the event to join him to launch the International Year of Sanitation 2008 for Nigeria.

Earlier, in his keynote address, the Minister of Water Resources and Chairman of NCWR, Dr. Sayyadi Abba Ruma, said in order for the nation to effectively manage its resources, Government must come up with a new policy arrangement and enhanced funding, expressing joy that the President has granted the use of the National Resources Fund as a special intervention fund for Agricultural development.