The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, has stated that food security is crucial given the growing population of Lagos State.
She said this recently in Lagos, at a stakeholder’s dialogue on the Right to Food Act 2023, organised by the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, in partnership with Oxfam.
She said, “In terms of promoting food accessibility, the Lagos State Government, under the leadership of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has the Lagos State Agricultural Road Map. This is a strategic document.
“The road map is hinged on four pillars: domestic sufficiency, up-country partnerships, food storage infrastructure logistics, and market infrastructure.
“Everything we are doing as a state government is hinged on this. Ensuring the right to food and seeing it as a human right is something we take seriously.
“Being the smallest state and the most densely populated state, and knowing fully well that with the number of people we have, if they are not fed, it can lead to chaos, we see it as a matter of national security that we have to ensure that people have access to food.”
Olusanya said several programmes had been tailored to the empowerment to encourage youth participation in the agricultural space.
“We believe that market access is what a consumer can buy, the price point, and the quality.
“This is where we have our food transformation initiative, which is hinged on the central logistics hub, that is the big aggregation centre, and then the middle-level hubs.
“One of such is the Mushin fresh food hub. What we have been able to do with the Mushin centre is to use it as a case study for the other hubs that are coming up,” she added.
The Team Lead of Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, Dr Michael David, said Lagos had the highest number of food-insecure people in Nigeria.
He said, “Lagos has the highest number of food-insecure people in Nigeria.
“A 2022 report indicated that 1,780,194 individuals are experiencing food insecurity. This is a significant issue, impacting many urban families who struggle to access sufficient nutritious food.
“Despite efforts to promote food security, challenges like poverty, high food costs, unemployment and limited accessibility remain.
“Lagos State’s food security is critically important due to its large population, high economic activity, and its role as a major hub for Nigeria.”
David said ensuring food security in Lagos was vital for the well-being of its citizens, the stability of the local economy, and the broader national food system.”
He noted that while food security was the goal, the right to food served as the legal and moral pathway to achieve that end, transforming access to adequate food from a policy objective into a protected human right.
About the Author
