*Nigerian Vice-President Kashim Shettima discloses the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has designed a comprehensive strategy to address food security challenges, especially in conflict-affected regions, stressing that true ‘national sovereignty’ is incomplete without food sovereignty

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Nigerian Vice-President Kashim Shettima, GCON, has emphasised that true “national sovereignty” is incomplete without food sovereignty.

Shettima stated this Tuesday, July 39, 2025, during a panel on Country Perspectives: Government-led Strategies and Regional Frameworks at the UN Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4), held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Nigerian Vice-President used the forum to urge global stakeholders to deepen cooperation with Nigeria in rebuilding sustainable and inclusive food systems on the African continent.

He also told the global audience that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has designed a comprehensive strategy to address food security challenges, which mostly impact vulnerable citizens in conflict-affected regions.

The Vice-President said President Tinubu鈥檚 bold national strategy, including the declaration of a state of emergency on food security and the rollout of systemic reforms.

This is aimed at transforming agriculture into a resilient, youth-driven, market-based engine of economic growth, said he.

Stanley Nkwocha, Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice-President), also quoted Shettima to have said: 鈥淥ur target is to attain food sovereignty. So long as a nation is not independent in the area of food sovereignty, it remains a non-sovereign nation.”

The Vice-President as well recalled that when Tinubu assumed office in 2023, his administration met a fragile food system worsened by insecurity, climate shocks, and inflationary pressures.

The statement noted: 鈥淗is Excellency President Tinubu declared a State of Emergency on Food Security, not out of fear, but out of genuine concern for the welfare of our people, especially in conflict-driven environments like the North East, where Boko Haram was sowing seeds of discord and destruction.”

However, he explained that with 25 million vulnerable people across fragile regions in Nigeria, the government has adopted coordinated policy measures, including the creation of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU) to harmonise all food security interventions.

鈥淲e have also initiated food support mechanisms in the North-East and North-West.

“But we believe charity is not the answer. In Africa, we say that when you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.

“If you teach him to fish, you empower him for life. In our displaced people鈥檚 camps, we鈥檙e encouraging food production for dignity and resilience,鈥� Shettima said.

He emphasised that Nigeria鈥檚 agricultural transformation strategy must be market-driven, powered by entrepreneurship and innovation.

The Vice-President asserted that “the whole mantra is about increasing yields. Entrepreneurial capitalism is embedded in the psyche of the average Nigerian.”

In order to attain this, the Nigerian Government is investing in improved seeds, extension services, and climate-resilient farming, and mechanisation, Shettima noted.

The Vice-President added: 鈥淲e are reinforcing our extension services so that our farmers can get up-to-date information on rainfall patterns and how to manage the climate shocks ravaging our part of the world.”

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