…As Osinbajo, Obasanjo address food security

….AfDB’ll invest $24bn in turning agric into business – Adesina

From: Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

Former Military Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon, on Monday, said he was not scared of the unity of Nigeria and that the country would not break in spite of agitations by some groups and events suggesting the break-up of the country.

He spoke at the 50th anniversary celebration of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) held at the Conference Centre of the institute in Ibadan. The anniversary also witnessed commissioning of the $700,000 Akinwumi A. Adesina Agripreneurs Building, a training facility for capacity development for youth agripreneurs, which was funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and IITA. Both events were chaired by former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was represented on the occasion by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh. President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina; Chief Executive Officer of Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu; and Dr. Joe Makoju, Special Adviser to Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who represented his boss.

The event was also witnessed by former Prime Minister of Democratic Republic of Congo, Matata Ponyo Mapon; Minister of Agriculture and Livestock in Burundi, Dr.  Deo-Guide Rurema; Chairman, IITA Board of Trustees, Dr. Bruce Coulman; IITA Director General, Dr. Nteranya Sanginga; Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, represented by his deputy, Otunba Moses Adeyemo;  and scores of other dignitaries personally graced the golden jubilee of IITA.

Gowon, who gave the assurance when he fielded questions from journalists during the programme, said: “I am not scared for the unity of the nation. I have confidence in Nigeria and the youths of this country that they will make sure that they take over and do better than we left for them.

“I have no fears of  all these ranting and so on. No, I have confidence that the youths of this nation will keep Nigeria going and make it greater. Diversity is our source of unity and strength.”

On the golden jubilee, Gowon stated that young people must be encouraged to get involved in agriculture, saying: “The average age of farmers in Nigeria is 60, soon they will pass on and that includes me. We have to encourage the younger ones to be interested in agriculture so that they can take over from the older generation that have been feeding the nation. This is what happens in Europe, America and China today and we must encourage it in Nigeria.”

Osinbajo, however, enjoined IITA to partner with Nigeria in dealing with new challenges confronting the country, adding that “These are new and very serious existentialist issues in Nigeria and indeed all of Africa. The first and most urgent is that of the population bulge.

“At over three per cent growth per annum. We are reportedly  heading for 450 million persons by the year 2050. That places Nigeria in the third place after China and India, and in a world of nine billion humans, that Nigeria alone is five per cent of the world’s population.

“But feeding 450 million is tough though not impossible. If China and India did it, we too can. So as move on, we must reflect on the challenge of quantity of output and quality of consumption. And to achieve this, we urge you to engage in research,  more research and even more research.

“You have to commercialise the results of your research. You have to create subsidiaries as is done in India. These companies can then multiply your findings and market them for larger application.”

Obasanjo, who is IITA Goodwill Ambassador, noted that Africa has not realised its own special Green Revolution, modelled on increased production, in an environment of sustainability, food security and overall wealth creation and employment generation.

“The food import bill of Africa has remained ridiculously high, hovering around $35billion per annum. This, to say the least, is not only unacceptable, but also unpardonable. Food demand is projected to rise by at least 20 per cent globally over the next 15 years, with the largest increases anticipated in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and East Asia.