*Receives new IITA DG
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Governor Seyi Makinde has raised alarm of food insecurity challenges presently rocking Nigeria as a country
The governor raised the alarm in Ibadan on Tuesday, while receiving the Director-General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and CGIAR Regional Director, Continental Africa, Dr. Simeon Ehui and his team into his office
He declared that the country is facing challenges requiring that leaders in the country at this particular have to work three times as hard for anyone to even notice that they are doing something.
Governor Makinde maintained that ” as a country, we are going through challenges right now, in the economy, they have removed the lid on the exchange rates, and also PMS subsidy has been removed, so these have brought in quite a bit of hardship on the people”.
“If you also look into the needs of the people, they say that if you take care of hunger then, poverty has been solved, so you cannot toy with the issue of food security”, he said
Gov Makinde added, ” This means that leaders at this particular time in this country have to work three times as hard for anyone to even notice that they are doing something”
” With the IITA, if we focus on taking care of hunger through food security in our state, then we would have been able to solve half of the challenges ahead of us. So, I want to pledge that, even though it is a new DG, as a state we will continue to work together to tackle food security within our state and within the country and the continent. So, we will continue to partner with you,”
Stressing that his government is determined to tackle the challenge of food insecurity, Gov Makinde said he will be looking forward to further profitable partnerships with the Institute and that the government would continue with the Start Them Early Programme (STEP), which trains secondary school students in Oyo State on agribusiness practices.
“On behalf of the people of Oyo State, I welcome you back to your home and to your state. I like the idea that you have been here at IITA as a young researcher and now you are back as the DG after going around the world.
IITA DG and CGIAR Regional Director, Continental Africa, Dr. Ehui disclosed that the Institute is ready to work with the Oyo state government to improve the food security system in the state, saying, the food system in Africa is being challenged due to climate change, assuring the state of more support from the Institute, as it partners with it to deliver on their mandates.
