• Calls on govs for swift action on agriculture to boost food security
By Oluwafemi Popoola
August 27, 2024
Former Presidential aide and veteran journalist, Laolu Akande, has blamed state governors’ inaction on food production for Nigeria’s deepening hunger crisis, urging them to take immediate action to address the issue.
He also called on President Bola Tinubu to tackle corruption in the oil and gas sector amid the national petrol scarcity.
Akande further emphasized the need for swift action to boost food security while highlighting the role of state governors in exacerbating national hunger through their inaction on local food production.
Speaking during a space forum hosted by Kehinde Adefulu on X (formerly Twitter), Akande emphasized the need for state governments to take responsibility for agricultural development.
The forum, titled “State of the Nation: Addressing Fuel Scarcity, Hunger, and Hardship—Which Way Forward?” brought Akande’s concerns to the forefront. He pointed out that the expectation for the federal government to solve all issues related to agriculture is misplaced. “Agriculture is not an exclusive matter for the federal government,” Akande stated. “A lot of responsibilities and the production of agricultural produce are happening at the state level.”
Akande underscored that state governors have the power to prioritize agriculture in their regions, stressing that transportation and storage of produce are joint responsibilities of both federal and state governments. “We need to hold our state governors to more account than we have,” he urged.
Continuing, he said, “There is absolutely nothing that stops a state governor from ensuring that agriculture becomes a major issue in their state. I will put emphasis on what is happening in the states. This is a federation.”
“To deal with the problem of transportation, transportation is the big deal. Of course, there are also issues of storage so that people when they produce it don’t become stale and destroyed and damaged, so those issues are also there. But it is for both the federal and state governments to deal with. We need to hold our state governors to more account than we have. And I think many of us possibly are still carrying over this mentality of the military government where the heads of state sit in the capital in Abuja and then give the governors orders.”
Drawing historical parallels, Akande referenced the achievements of Obafemi Awolowo in the 1950s, who used agricultural development as a foundation for significant advancements in the Western region.
He said, “If you remember very well those of you who remember or learnt a bit of history, Obafemi Awolowo in the 50s was able to launch free education, free health, structural transformation in the Western region on the back of agric. So my point is that, look state governors have to be held to greater accountability. We have given the state too much leeway to the point that governors themselves point to the federal government for issues that they have authority over.”
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“There is absolutely nothing that stops a state governor from ensuring that agriculture becomes a major issue in their state. I will put emphasis on what is happening in the states. This is a federation.”, Akande stated.
In what seemed like a candid interactive session, Laolu Akande shared his insights on the challenges faced by the government he served, citing the presence of influential cabals and a turbulent political environment that hindered its campaign promises.
When questioned about the shortcomings of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption promise, Akande chose not to delve into specifics, instead acknowledging the complexities involved. He noted that both President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo are aware of the issues and suggested that a more comprehensive explanation might be provided by the leaders themselves in due course.
His words, “I don’t think that I’m going to get into the details of what happened at this forum and that is essentially because the president himself knows what happened, the vice president knows what happened and I’m going to give the both of them the space not to infuse myself trying to explain what it is that happened.”
“But what I will say is that many people knew there were cabals and I’m sure that both of you who asked the question must have followed the administration, you knew about the cabals. You knew that after the election in 2019, if you follow the event very well that there was even an attempt to fire almost all the aides of the vice president.”
Continuing, “As a matter of matter of fact there was a public announcement right after the election in 2019 after the party won the second term and the supreme call had ruled that the party had won. There was a public announcement that about 35 aides of the vice president were sacked.”
“So, there is enough information in the public for people to able to imagine what happened. I won’t go into details about what the vice president did. Not that it’s not in my place but I don’t think that time has come. But I think we should expect the president himself and the vice president the time to reflect and come out.
Akande further hinted at his plans to write a book which he said would offer a deeper exploration of the issues once sufficient time has passed for reflection. He emphasized that the public has access to enough information to form their own opinions about the administration’s challenges and the broader implications for governance.
“I am going to write a book by the Grace of God and when I write my book I will detail some of these things because it would have been enough time given to both of them to explain to the world what happened. Yes we knew what happened and I am sure people can figure it out.”, Akande concluded.
