Borno remains essential to agric, food security – Ogbeh

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has said that Borno State remains very important in the food security equation of Nigeria in spite of the insurgency in the state. He made the remark recently during a visit to some key agricultural projects in the state.  At a high level stakeholders’ meeting […]

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has said that Borno State remains very important in the food security equation of Nigeria in spite of the insurgency in the state.

He made the remark recently during a visit to some key agricultural projects in the state. 

At a high level stakeholders’ meeting held at the government house in Maiduguri, Ogbeh described Borno as a very promising agricultural state in spite of the many setbacks it has suffered due to the Boko Haram insurgency.

“Despite the devastating degree of harm done by Boko Haram to Borno State,” he noted, it has “remained one of the most prepared states to face the future through agriculture.”

He warned, however, that “ignoring rural development will hurt us all and pose a huge threat to our collective interest and well-being,” and called for “support to improve the lives and well-being of our rural communities.”

Prof. José Graziano da Silva, leading the high level delegation of the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), observed the need to recognise and acknowledge the long neglect of rural development in the region, worsened by the challenge of the Boko Haram insurgency.

The director-general, however, expressed optimism about a common solution with the abundance of potentials in the region.

 “We strongly believe that there are great potentials in this region and we are bringing in our support for rural development and food security,” da Silva said.

The delegation was in Nigeria to visit north-eastern communities and the Lake Chad Basin to discuss current challenges and present the organisation’s support plans and response strategy for local efforts to increase the rural communities’ resilience following the devastation of their agriculture-based livelihoods by the Boko Haram crisis. 

Governor Kashim Shettima described the FAO as one of the most practical and helpful organisations of the United Nations consistently committed to the good of the state. 

He thanked the FAO’s DG, “who, despite travel advisory, has continued to visit us in search of solutions to our problems.”