WE SHOULD PLACE FOOD SECURITY ABOVE OTHER THINGS, HON. GBOLAHAN OGUNLEYE URGES RESIDENTS OF IKORODU CONSTITUENCY 1. | Shakiru Seidu.

The Representative of Ikorodu Constituency 1, at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Gbolahan Ogunleye, has changed his Constituents to shift focus to food production above other things, to curb hunger.

Gbolahan stated this at the Lagos State House of Assembly’s 9th Constituency Stakeholders’ Meeting, held at his Constituency office in Ipakodo, Ikorodu, Lagos. The meeting was held simultaneously in all the 40 constituencies of the State.

Addressing the stakeholders, the Lawmaker said the current hunger called for a shift of attention to food production above other things, noting that the clamour for food sufficiency lately, has been on the increase, hence the need for residents and stakeholders to prioritise food production using available lands and homes.

Gbolahan reiterated that addressing food insecurity had become “number one” for the people and efforts should be concentrated on addressing hike in food prices and scarcity. Adding that Lagos House of Assembly has created an enabling environment for farming activities to thrive in the State, especially through the passage of anti-open grazing of livestock Law to protect farmlands.

Calling for home-grown farming, Gbolahan said that food production systems must be capable of withstanding climate change, economic variables, providing access to healthy food and promoting sustainable practices that preserve national resources.

“To achieve these goals, our farming capacity has to be widened, involving everyone, including the youth with the skills, knowledge and resources to drive agriculture, innovation and entrepreneurship within every community. To boost food production and also to force prices down to bearable limits, there is a need for strategic solutions and approaches to farming. I call on you all our constituents who have landed property to prioritise using them for agricultural purposes to encourage participation in agricultural activities,” the lawmaker said.

In the same vein, the former Majority Leader and Member, Lagos Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Assemblies, Hon. SOB Agunbiade, while addressing the gathering said the issue of food production remained a collective business, hence each Community Development Association must focus on its area of comparative advantage.

Agunbiade further said, it's high time more lands were allotted for farm settlements. The former Lagos lawmaker, decried over- reliance on white collar jobs, said that in advanced countries, many people practise urban farming.

Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Rural Development, Dr. Nurudeen Agbaje, equally noted that residents should not wait until they have hectares of land before farming, stating that Government can not do it alone.

The meeting had various community stakeholders in attendance, including traditional, religious and political leaders, Youth Groups, Artisans among others.

MegaXpression News,

The Source of GENUINE Information.

08099799530