Lokoja, Kogi State – In a significant move to revitalize the agricultural sector and ensure food security, top stakeholders in Kogi State gathered at a consultative meeting to discuss the 2025 agricultural projects.
The meeting, held on Tuesday, brought together representatives from the government, agricultural agencies, NGOs, and farmers’ organizations.
Blessing Akhile, Food and Agriculture Programme Adviser for ActionAid Nigeria, emphasized the importance of citizen input in the budget to ensure effective allocation of resources.
“We need to ensure that the budget reflects the needs of the people, particularly smallholder farmers,” Akhile said.
Dr. Bello Ogirima, Managing Director of Kogi Agricultural Development Project (ADP), highlighted the state’s potential for food production, citing its vast land, population, and technical expertise.
“We have the resources, now we need to harness them to achieve food security,” Ogirima said.
Hon. Dr. Bello Oluwaseyi Victor, House Committee Chairman on Agriculture, praised Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo’s interventions, including empowering 7,000 farmers with 5,000 hectares of land and free inputs.
“The government is committed to supporting farmers and ensuring food security,” Victor said.
Hon. Otaru Abdulkadir Onoruoyiza, Senior Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Security, stressed the need for legislative support and budgetary provisions to reinforce the performance of agricultural agencies and ministries.
“We need to put words into action and ensure that our policies translate to tangible results,” Onoruoyiza said.
The meeting aimed to generate citizen inputs for the 2025 budget and ensure participatory governance in agriculture.
Stakeholders called for targeted investments, subsidized inputs, and climate-resilient practices to boost food production, employment, and economic growth.
Haj. Rukayah Ahmed, State Chairperson of Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation (SWOFON), Kogi State Chapter, thanked the organizers and promised to put the deliberations into action.
