AS yuletide knocks on the door, many Nigerians are apprehensive based on the low purchasing power for needed items, and have also expressed worry on survival ahead of 2023, the National Agricultural Lands Development Authority, NALDA, Monday, declared no food shortage and assured that Nigerians would not go hungry in 2023.
The declaration was made by the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive, National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, during a media briefing ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari’s unveiling of landmark achievements by NALDA within two years on December 8, 2022, in Abuja.
Ikonne said: “I will assure you that Nigeria will not have any food shortage and I will break it down.
“In 2023, there will not be any food shortage. So any prediction in that direction is doom prediction. Why? Because awareness is being created towards going into farming, and this government of President Muhammadu Buhari is encouraging farmers in all aspects.
“Now, the youth are tilting towards farming. A lot of people are going into farming. So why would we have food shortage, is it as a result of laziness or climate change?
“Now if it is climate change is beyond human capacity but by the virtue of provision, support and encouragement that can come from government to encourage people to go into farming.
“This government is providing it to farmers NALDA is position to support farmers with land preparation, capacity building and support to see that we achieve food security.
“So I don’t see Nigeria going hungry in 2023. You will agree with me that the President was already prepared not knowing that there will be something called COVID-19, and Nigeria did not go cap in hand; first of all short our borders, and yet people did not suffer hunger.
“And then COVID-19 came Nigeria did not collapse. And we don’t pray that there will be another global pandemic that will strike but outside that 2023 will be more fruitful year for Nigeria.”
He further stated that there is no cause for alarm based on what people and organsiations have over and predicted that full blown hunger will hit Nigeria in 2023.
Meanwhile, he said under NALDA integrated farms across the country enough food has been harvested and still ongoing.