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VP Shettima: Our Target As A Nation Is To Attain Food Sovereignty
VP Shettima: Our Target As A Nation Is To Attain Food Sovereignty
** Urges global partnership for sustainable agricultural transformation in meetings with leaders
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on global stakeholders to deepen cooperation with Nigeria in rebuilding sustainable and inclusive food systems across Africa, saying true national sovereignty is incomplete without food sovereignty.
He noted 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 spoke on Tuesday during a panel on Country Perspectives: Government-led Strategies and Regional Frameworks during the UN Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Senator Shettima said President Tinubu’s bold national strategy, including the declaration of a state of emergency on food security and the rollout of systemic reforms, was aimed at transforming agriculture into a resilient, youth-driven, market-based engine of economic growth.
“Our 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 VP said, recalling that when President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, the administration met a fragile food system worsened by insecurity, climate shocks, and inflationary pressures.
“His 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,” he stated.
VP Shettima explained that with 25 million vulnerable people across fragile regions, the government adopted coordinated policy measures, including the creation of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), not to displace existing institutions, but to harmonise all food security interventions.
“We 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’s camps, we’re encouraging food production for dignity and resilience,” he added.
The Vice President stressed that Nigeria’s agricultural transformation strategy must be market-driven, powered by entrepreneurship and innovation.
“Our belief is that agriculture should be market-driven. The whole mantra is about increasing yields. Entrepreneurial capitalism is embedded in the psyche of the average Nigerian,” he noted.
To achieve this, he said the government is investing in improved seeds, extension services, climate-resilient farming, and mechanisation.
“We 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,” he said.
VP Shettima Meets FAO, IFAD, WFP Chiefs, Seeks Support For Lake Chad, Year-Round Farming, Green Revolution
Meanwhile, on the margins of the summit, Vice President Shettima held high-level bilateral meetings with top executives of key global food and development agencies, including the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), QU Dongyu; President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Álvaro Lario, and Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain.
In his meeting with the FAO DG, Shettima sought the organisation’s partnership in reviving the Lake Chad region, enhancing all-year farming, and supporting the Green Revolution Project of the Federal Government.
“The revival of the Lake Chad region, which is being threatened by multidimensional challenges such as environmental degradation, climate change, humanitarian crises, and conflict, requires a multi-pronged approach, development initiatives, conflict resolution, regional cooperation, and large-scale infrastructure,” VP Shettima said.
He emphasised the region’s enormous agricultural potential, urging FAO to play a central role in supporting its recovery.
FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, praised the political will of the Tinubu administration, describing it as a clear demonstration of committed leadership to transform Nigeria’s food systems. He pledged enhanced FAO partnership and technical support.
In a similar meeting with IFAD President, Álvaro Lario, VP Shettima underscored the administration’s resolve to empower smallholder farmers, especially youth and women, with access to finance, mechanisation, and modern inputs.
“We are focusing on increased productivity, resilience, and commercialisation, not handouts,” VP Shettima noted, adding that Nigeria’s plan includes scaling up existing IFAD-supported projects to reach more rural communities.
The Vice President also held talks with WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain, during which he commended the organisation’s longstanding humanitarian interventions in Nigeria.
He, however, reiterated the administration’s shift toward sustainable solutions.
McCain pledged WFP’s continued commitment to working with the Nigerian government in areas such as school feeding, nutrition, and support for displaced communities.
VP Shettima: Our Target As A Nation Is To Attain Food Sovereignty
Nigerian Workers Abandoned in CAR Get Succour at Nigerian Embassy
…Reps Committee Begins Probe of Incident
By: Michael Mike
The stranded Nigerians in Central Africa Republic CAR have finally arrived at the Nigerian Embassy in Bangui.
It will be recalled that through a viral video, some Nigerian miners called for help, which elicited immediate intervention from officials of the Nigerian Embassy and CAR security who accompanied them from their location to the capital.
The journey to Bangui took a number of days with the Nigerians, alleged victims of a Chinese National and a Nigerian agent who hired them for work in that country and abandoned them there without paying their renumeration for 11 months,
A statement on Wednesday by the spokesman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun said obviously traumatised, weak and distressed, they (the stranded Nigerians) had called for help to be rescued.
He said: “They are now in the safe hands of officials of the Nigerian Embassy who will arrange their return back home.”
He added that: “They expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu , the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and staff of both countries , the Nigerian Embassy, the CAR Security agencies and Nigerians who shared their stories.
“The agent who lured them into the job scam, is currently based in Nigeria and has been identified and is expected to be prosecuted .”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on China-Nigeria Parliamentary Relations has launched a thorough investigation into a viral video depicting some Nigerians in the Central African Republic (CAR) alleging abandonment and passport seizure by a Nigerian businessman, purportedly linked to a Chinese company.
A statement released to the press and signed by the committee’s Chairman, Hon. Jaafaru Yakubu, assured that a thorough investigation will be conducted to uncover the truth behind the allegations.
The statement read: The Committee regrets the unfortunate situation the Nigerian workers are being subjected to in CAR and assures that a comprehensive investigation is currently ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to their ordeal.”
The Committee clarified that Abdulrauf Ademola, the businessman accused in the video, has refuted the allegations of passport seizure, unpaid salaries, and abandonment. It further stressed that Ademola is not affiliated with the Chinese Embassy or the China General Chamber of Commerce.
It added that: “His (Ademola’s) actions or inactions should not be linked to the embassy or Chinese enterprises doing their legitimate businesses in Nigeria.”
The committee stated that China-Nigeria relations have flourished over time, yielding significant results across key sectors, including trade, investment, infrastructure, technology, human capital development, and people-to-people partnerships.
It urged the media and the public to report on China-Nigeria relations in a fair, balanced, and truthful manner, reflecting the mutual solidarity between the two nations.
End
Odumegwu-Ojukwu in Ghana to Douse Ongoing Tension
…Insists Nigeria Remains Committed to Better Nigeria-Ghana Relations
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria has finally began the move to douse the ongoing tension with Ghana over the growing agitation by Ghanaians that Nigerians should leave their country, as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu
reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to maintaining robust relations with Ghana during a visit.
The Minister also said the relationship would not stop at government level but extend to citizen-to-citizen level.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu made this known on Wednesday during her ongoing two-day visit to the West African country.
According to a statement by the spokesman to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Magnus Eze, his principal is in Ghana to address the situation of Nigeria-Ghana citizens’ relations and meet with relevant stakeholders at both ends including the President of Ghana, the country’s Foreign Minister, traditional rulers and Nigerians resident in the country, to ensure that the life, property and businesses of Nigeria and Nigerians living in Ghana are safe and protected.
Eze said: “As part of the engagements for the minister, a few minutes after touching down at Kotoka Accra International Airport, Ghana on Tuesday evening, she had a quick interface with the Inspector General of Police Ghana, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, who was on his way to London, United Kingdom.”
He disclosed that Odumegwu-Ojukwu continued similar engagements on Wednesday with Ghanian officials and leaders of the Nigeria community.
She is expected back to Abuja on Thursday.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu in Ghana to Douse Ongoing Tension
Tinubu Appoints Adeyemi as New CG, Federal Fire Service
By: Michael Mike
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of DCG Olumode Samuel Adeyemi as the new substantive Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) with effect from 14th August, 2025.
The appointment was announced in a statement by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), signed by its secretary, Abdulmalik Jibrin.
The statement read: “This appointment follows the imminent retirement of the current Controller-General, Engr. Abdulganiyu Jaji Olola, on 1th August, 2025, upon attaining the age of sixty.
“DCG Olumode Samuel Adeyemi brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having transferred his service from the FCT Fire Service to the Federal Fire Service and grown to the rank of Deputy Controller-General of Fire in the Human Resource Directorate of the Service Headquarters.
“In the course of his career, the Officer has attended and passed all mandatory In-Service trainings, command course as well as other courses within and outside the country.
“He has served in various capacities and is equally a member/fellow of the following professional associations including Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Treasury Management of Nigeria.
“The Board extends its appreciation to the retiring Controller-General, Engr. Abdulganiyu Jaji Olola for his remarkable contributions to the development of the Federal Fire Service while also acknowledging his dedication and commitment to the service, and the numerous initiatives he spearheaded during his period of service.”
Tinubu Appoints Adeyemi as New CG, Federal Fire Service
Nigerian Workers Abandoned in CAR Get Succour at Nigerian Embassy
NDLEA, Education Ministry Agree on Drug Education in School Curriculum, Test for Varsity Students, Others
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