Tinubu’s Strategy on Food Security, Water Resources Development Commendable – Afenifere Group

<p>The Reformed Afenifere Youth Group &lpar;RAYG&rpar; has commended President Bola Tinubu for his exemplary leadership in addressing food security and water resources in the country&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The group also applauded the outstanding performances of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security&comma; Abubakar Kyari&comma; and his counterpart in the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation&comma; Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In a statement signed by its President&comma; Aare Yemi Adenifuja&comma; the Afenifere youths said the Ministers&&num;8217&semi; stewardship and dedication have led to significant progress in the agricultural and water sectors&comma; boosting the socio-economic growth and prosperity of Nigeria&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Under Kyari&&num;8217&semi;s visionary leadership&comma; the agricultural sector has witnessed significant growth&comma; with initiatives boosting production and ensuring food security&comma;&&num;8221&semi; he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The successful launch of the 2023-2024 dry-season farming program has empowered thousands of farmers&comma; while the distribution of 58&comma;500 metric tonnes of milled rice has enhanced food availability&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Additionally&comma; the development of 23 improved crop varieties has increased crop yields&comma; and the enhancement of food security and nutrition has improved the overall well-being of Nigerians&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Furthermore&comma; market access has improved&comma; and employment opportunities have been generated&comma; contributing to the sector&&num;8217&semi;s growth&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The Agric ministry undertook significant measures to boost agricultural production and control food inflation which he itemised to include&semi; the distribution of improved seeds&comma; fertilisers&comma; agrochemicals&comma; and equipment to farmers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The ministry has also partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria &lpar;CBN&rpar; to distribute 2&period;15 million bags of fertiliser free of charge to farmers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;In rural infrastructure development&comma; the ministry has constructed 77&period;8km of asphalt roads&comma; including 130&period;9 km of earthen roads and boreholes&comma; and installed solar street lights which have created nearly 60&comma;000 jobs in rural areas with other initiatives to manage agricultural lands and address climate change including soil analysis&comma; water conservation training&comma; and climate-smart agriculture practices&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Similarly&comma; Adenifuja said Professor Utsev&&num;8217&semi;s expertise and experience in water resources and environmental engineering have led to groundbreaking initiatives addressing the nation&&num;8217&semi;s complex water challenges&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;His strategic leadership has resulted in significant progress in water infrastructure development&comma; irrigation projects&comma; and water supply expansion&comma; enhancing the nation&&num;8217&semi;s water security&comma;&&num;8221&semi; he added&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The implementation of innovative technologies and sustainable practices has ensured equal access to clean water and sanitation for all citizens&comma; a critical step towards achieving the United Nations&&num;8217&semi; Sustainable Development Goals&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The adoption of cutting-edge technology has also boosted the agricultural sector and water resources with the use of precision farming to enhance crop yields and reduce waste&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The use of advanced technologies like water management software and data analytics has optimized water distribution&comma; reduced leakages&comma; and improved efficiency in the water sector&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Moreover&comma; the adoption of renewable energy sources like solar and wind power has reduced the carbon footprint of water treatment and pumping stations&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The group&comma; therefore&comma; said adopting more innovative approaches will further enhance food security and water resources in Nigeria and urged the Federal Government to continue prioritizing these sectors&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The FG should explore international collaborations to enhance food security and water resources&comma; promote sustainable agriculture practices&comma; develop innovative water management systems&comma; improve access to clean water and sanitation&comma; and support the growth of the agricultural sector&comma;&&num;8221&semi; the statement added&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We commend President Tinubu&comma; Minister Kyari&comma; and Minister Utsev for their dedication to the socio-economic growth and prosperity of Nigeria&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Their stewardship has led to significant progress in the agricultural and water sectors&comma; and we look forward to continued success in these critical areas&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We also appreciate the efforts of farmers&comma; agricultural extension workers&comma; and water resources managers who have worked tirelessly to implement these initiatives&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;