Former Niger state govenor, Dr Babangida Aliyu, Monday urged the northern region to pay special attention to girl- child education for faster growth.
Aliyu made the remarks in a welcome address at the annual lectures in honor of late Sir Ahmadu Bello, former premier of the northern region, in Kaduna Monday.
He stressed the need for the north to continue to invest in the education of the youths, including the girl child, for a better society.
Aliyu also urged the people of the region for more investments in agriculture to avert hunger and ensure food security.
“Statistical forecast already indicates that globally we need about 70 per cent more food in 2020 because the world population is expected to double.
“The huge challenge can only be tackled when equally huge investments are made in sustainable agriculture such as integrated agricultural practices.
“We all acknowledge the strategic importance and even necessity of increasing participation in agri -business, but the challenges faced by farmers here in the north are overwhelming,” Aliyu said.
Aliyu, who is also chairman Board of Trustee, Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, said farmers in the region still lack access to better and cheaper fertilizer, other farms inputs and sufficient financial support required to transform agriculture.
“There is also lack of adequate knowledge and information, ineffective methods of enhancing agricultural outputs.
“The trending issues of kidnapping, banditry and general insecurity have affected the quantity and quality of agricultural yield in the region.
“More worrisome is the fact that our highly arable lands are fast being depleted of their nutrients and quality.
” This perhaps explains why we have become more overly dependent on fertilizers and other means of enhancing our lands in order for us to achieve our desired yields,”he said.
Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, former Nigeria’s envoy to Switzerland, in a good will message said the theme of lecture” Intergrated Agriculture for food security and sustainable economic Regeneration in Northern Nigeria” was apt.
Kwande urged northern leaders to support farmers in their efforts for sustained food production.
The Emir of Lere, Alhaji Garba Mohammed thanked the orginzers for putting agricultural issues on the forefront banner of the annual lecture.
On his part Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state in a message, assured that he would continue to support farmers in his state to ensure that the vision and mission of Sir Ahmadu Bello memorial Foundation is achieved.
Sule was represented by Alhaji Usman Jibril, the focal person in the state ministry of Humanitarian Services.
The 2020 lecture titled: “Ways to Sustainable Agricultural Development and Adequate Food Security” will be delivered by Murtala Nyako, former Adamawa governor.
