Diaspora Yorubas tell FG, S’West govs to tackle hunger
Yoruba One Voice (YOV), a coalition of Yorubas in diaspora, has asked the Federal Government and governors of the six states in the South West region to address the acute hunger in Yorubaland.
The group added that such could be done by making agriculture more attractive to the people of the South West.
The Yoruba One Voice made the appeal at the end of its quarterly conference held via zoom,with no fewer than 500 participants online from across the six continent of the world where members of the diaspora organization are located.
The weekend conference with the theme, “Rescuing Yoruba Nation From Hunger, Your Task, My Task,’ was a timely intervention strategy serving as a wake up call to both the Federal Government and the South West governors to devise a better approach to make agriculture more
attractive to the people of the region.
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, who is also the convener of YOV, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, said the reason for the YOV’s quarterly conference is to impress it on the government at all levels to work on the best approach at solving the problem of hunger in Yoruba land
He said, “In Nigeria today,the acute hunger across the country does not know the tribe or the region.It does not know the colour of our skin and the dialect we speak as a race.It is a general issue that needs urgent solution”.
Adams identified rising spate of insecurity, killings and kidnapping of farmers, lack of adequate support in terms of getting loan facility, as some of the factors responsible for hunger.
He also described the obvious lacuna between the south and the northern farmers, movement of the young and abled youths from the village to the cities in search of White collar job, as well as lack of adequate knowledge on the modern and mechanized farming as other factors making agriculture unattractive.
While proffering solution to hunger in Yoruba land, Iba Adams gave insights into what he termed agric revolution, saying efforts should be made on improving livestock production as that is more lucrative than the other aspects of farming.
He said, “Nigeria is a blessed country and Yoruba land is even the greatest beneficiary of God’s blessings.
“This is evident in the way we plant our farm produce.Within a few days you see your seed grow with pride. All over the world,agriculture is a global business.Whether micro or macro agriculture.
“The success depends largely on the need to expand the scope and advance the technological and mechanical advantage in the agric production.
“Today, Nigeria and the South West is no longer the largest producer of cocoa, but we can still dictate and drive the market if the governors can do a reform that can help our agric sector.
“In today’s world, there are ways to plant and harvest cocoa within a short period of time. Let me say two to three years. And you get your results.We cannot use the old methods to solve today’s problems.
“More importantly, another major factor that has affected our farmers in the South West is the obvious loan facility lacuna between the Northern farmers and the Southern farmers.”
The guest speaker, Prince Adeyemi Omisakin, dwelled on the need to focus more on giving the necessary support to the farmers.
Omisakin regretted that civilisation and modernism, had gradually erode the respect given to farmers, saying farming is a noble job that had been socially reduced to the works of the peasants, the illiterates or the commoners.
He said, “There’s need to focus on not only the need for the present Yoruba societies to return to the lands, but how to also conduct productive farming activities effectively, even at cheaper rates, so as to rescue our already degenerated societies from the pangs of present hunger and to regain our nobilities among comity of nations.”
He urged the Federal Government and the six governors of the South West region to look inwards in addressing the basic problem of hunger by giving adequate support to locally made products.
The YOV General Secretary, Prince Adedokun Ademiluyi, said in his remarks that with Nigeria’s huge population of about 230 people, there was the need for adequate food security.
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