By Adodo Osewengie
The reoccurring banditry activities in the Wase Local government area in Plateau State will soon lead to shortages in the supply of food across the nation.
This is an alarm raised on Thursday, 16 December by the Emir of Wase, Muhammad Haruna, due to the high level of insecurity in the metropolis caused by bandits that have forced farmers from accessing the cities to dispose of their farms produce.
The Emir noted that in Wase local government, a large proportion of the farmlands has been taken over by these bandits who launch their operations from these hideouts and as such, farmers can no longer have access to their farms to cultivate and harvest crops.
Haruna said that the few farmers that were able to access their farms are not able to meet up to the quantity needed to sustain the food demands for a long period.
The Emir in a fundraising and colloquium organized by the Plateau State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, with the theme, “Tackling Food Crisis in Nigeria Through Robust Research for Sustainable Development,” in Jos, decried that the residents of Wase are living in an environment overtaken by fear caused by the nefarious activities bandits in the ancient city of Wase.
According to the monarch, he said, “I am a farmer, and the majority of the people in my domain are farmers. As a result of insecurity, a lot of us leave the villages for the city to look for greener pastures because we cannot afford to go to our farms.
Some people have taken responsibility, they will give you fertilizer and everything you require to farm but the disadvantage is that they take 70 percent of what you produce.
“We are in December; maize in Wase is N28, 000 per bag. Imagine by April, how much it will cost. The one considered the rich man’s food, rice is N26, 000 or N27, 000. The kinds of problems we are likely to have in Plateau and by extension, Nigeria, if people are hungry during the harvest period, imagine the situation that will be the next few months”, he added.
Prof. Dakas Dakas (SAN), a former Attorney-General and Guest Speaker for the event outlined that government, researchers, and all relevant stakeholders in the agricultural sector must work out a modality on how to boost food production to tackle rising cases of food insecurity in the nation.
In his statement, the former Attorney General said, “Research must drive development. If your research does not attract development, it has not achieved the aim of the research which is proffering solutions to problems and research must be taken seriously if food security is to be achieved.”
Going further, Prof Dakas noted that one of the ways food insecurity can be tackled is to build, train and equip the young people with the requisite skill to showcase their potentials.
