The Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji over the weekend alerted that Nigeria needs mass irrigation farming to avert looming food scarcity in the year 2021.
Oba Adetunji raised the alarm while speaking at the installation of Dr. Fayemi Fakayode as the Mogaji of Onibudo family held at the Ibadan House, Oke Aremo, Yemetu Ibadan.
Represented by Mogaji Okiti family in Ibadan, Chief Shina Olatunji Aresa, Oba Adetunji tasked the federal government and the South-west governors to urgently adopt the irrigation farming to overcome projections of food shortage in the year 2021.
According to Oba Adetunji, for Nigeria to avert food shortage in the year 2021, efforts should be directed towards mass irrigation farming to avoid the effects of bad weather on planting and that farmers on their should also be protected from criminals that attack and destroy their farms.
“We can avert hunger and food crisis if the federal government can come to the aid of farmers and provide security, situations where farmers were killed and maimed in their farmlands, situations where crops were destroyed by cattle will not attract young Nigerians to farming,” he said.
The Olubadan noted that every Nigerian should be agitated with the news of possible food crisis in the year 2021 as people were already experiencing economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We should see that the time has come for us to realise that the way we practice farming here in the South-West Nigeria cannot sustain us in food sufficiency, the year 2020 food shortage projection by some Nigerians is predicated on so many reasons ranging from bad weather, insecurity and largely poor funding from the government.”
The royal father then called on Governor Seyi Makinde to sign the state’s anti-grazing law to make the perpetrators of farm destruction and attacks on farmers have a rethink before committing such crimes, which will also give assurance to those that are interested in farming.
