Vice President Kashim Shettima has given an insight into the reasons for the declaration of the state of emergency on agriculture by President Bola Tinubu.
Shettima spoke at a session on “Country Perspectives: Government-led Strategies and Regional Framework” at the ongoing UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
The session brought together African leaders and policymakers to share experiences and strategies on strengthening national and local food systems.
Shettima stated that any nation that was not independent in the area of food sovereignty was not a sovereign country.
Shettima said when Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership, he met the nation in a very state of affairs.
Shettima said: “We met the nation in a very state of affairs. And His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, declared a state of food emergency out of genuine concern for the welfare of our people.
“This is especially in a conflict-driven environment like the North-East, where Boko Haram is sowing seeds of discord and destruction.
“So, the government came out with some very bold policy guidelines informed by the need to strengthen our food system.
“These include the setting up of the Presidential Food System Coordinating Units.
“The units are mainly not to displace the existing bodies but to coordinate the activities for enhanced food delivery. And issues like the food support mechanism in the North-East and the North.”
The vice president applauded the World Food Programme and other multilateral agencies for their support to Nigeria.
He stated that in displaced people’s camps, Tinubu’s administration took the initiative to encourage the displaced people to produce their food.
This, according to him, is with a view to giving them resilience, dignity, and most importantly, to build resilience against shocks.
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