Stakeholders urge concerted efforts to address food crisis

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

Stakeholders at a one day roundtable have harped on the need for the federal, state and local government councils as well as the organized private sector to come together and find solutions to the food crisis occasioned by inconsistent government policies, climate change and other environmental issues.

This position was canvassed at a one day national sensitization workshop on the state of the economy organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Monitoring and Evaluation on the Implementation of the 10th House Legislative Agenda.

Speakers who are experts in the various sectors emphasized the need for the government and the private sector to work closely with the other key players in the sub-sectors of the nations economy with a view to diversifying the economy.

In a presentation Dr.Emeka Okengwu Managing Director of the Anthil Concepts Limited said that first role for stakeholders in the country in the march towards a green economy is the planting of economic trees and high yielding crops in homes and farms.

He said that citizens and everyone in Nigeria must have the capacity to be bold to engage in agriculture even at the subsistent level for the nation to be able to feed its huge and continuously growing population.

The Chairman, Energy Commission of Nigeria represented by a Director Dr.Jessy Asogwa said that data is critical to the transformation of the energy sector of the nation’s economy.

He further stated that for the nation’s economy to be diversified, there is need to look inwards to see how it can build its own capacity.

He added that there is also need for the requisite infrastructure to drive the process of change.

Other speakers and facilitators including university professors and heads of ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government also called for a proper scrutiny of the recruitment process of the leadership of the nation’s political system at various levels.

These stakeholders and other experts harped on the need for the nation’s urgent transition to a blue, green and digital economy for a sustainable future for the present and future generation of Nigerian citizens.

The Chairman House Committee on Monitoring and Evaluation Hon.Patrick Umoh, other committee members and the Konrad Adeniur Stiftng a development partner that organized the parley.

Some of the key topics chosen at the well attended event include Nigeria Beyond Oil: Exploring the Stable Alternatives for A Stable and Sustainable Economy in an Emergent Green World; Enacting Nigeria’s Digital Economic Revolution Through Effective Mushrooming and Management of Start-up Ecosystem and Agropreneurship; and Smart and Sustainable Agriculture for National Food and Socio-economic Security among others.