Chief Emma Onah, a Commercial Farmer who has large hectares of cassava farmland in Nsukka, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, has urged Nigerians to help the Federal Government in achieving food security.
Onah said this in Nsukka on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while speaking on the present high cost of food items in markets across the country.
He said if every Nigerian should convert any available space in his or her compound to a garden and plant one or two crops on it, the present high cost of food items would disappear.
“We are suffering food scarcity now because many families buy everything in the market without any attempt to plant at least yam, cocoa yam and vegetables by themselves.
“What I am saying is that, we can help government to solve the problem of food scarcity by producing one or two things in our gardens.
“As many people can no longer access their farms because of activities of herders and armed bandits, we should farm any available space in our environment,” he said.
The farmer noted that the blame game by many Nigerians on the government, would not solve the problem.
“When you have garden it will not only help to feed your family but you will use the money saved to solve other problems,” he said.
Onah recalled that in 1970s and 80s, every primary and secondary schools had school farms where yam, cassava, cocoa yam, pepper, garden egg, among others, were planted and harvested.
“The gardens in those good old days not only helped to boost food production but also helped the schools to generate revenue in addition to teaching pupils and students how to farm, since its better to catch them young.
“But now you hardly see primary or secondary schools, either public or private, that have school farm.
“Government should restore school farms and make it compulsory for primary and secondary schools to help in defeating the present food scarcity that has resulted in price hike of food items in markets,” he said.
Ozioko, however, urged government to do everything within its capacity to solve the present security challenges in the country that had made it difficult for farmers to freely go to their farms.”(NAN)
