Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo will chair activities of the Nigeria Zero Hunger Forum’s meeting in Sokoto state today.

The two-day meeting in Sokoto, which begins on Wednesday, will afford participating states in Nigeria the opportunity to peer review one another, particularly on achievements and steps taken so far since 2016 to bring about zero hunger.

The peer review tool is being adopted by state governments in Nigeria as part of efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals.

Since the launch of the sustainable Development Goals in 2015, Nigeria’s former president has been in the forefront, advocating for home-grown policies and strategies to contain hunger and poverty in Nigeria.

Working with the World Food Program, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the African Development Bank, the former president led the development of the Nigeria Zero Hunger Strategic Review detailing what Nigeria needed to do to achieve zero hunger by 2025.

The Strategic Review Document was adopted with 6 pilots states—Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ogun, Kebbi and Sokoto—signing on for a peer review process.

Chief Obasanjo said his ambition is to support Nigeria to win the fight against hunger and poverty.

The meeting in Sokoto will attract members of the diplomatic corps, donors, development partners and farmers.

Dr Kenton Dashiell, Deputy Director General (Partnerships for Delivery) at IITA commended the Sokoto state government for the preparations made so far in hosting the meeting.

“We are excited to see that Sokoto is ready for the peer review process,” Dr Dashiell added.

In the last three weeks, Dr Dashiell and the Local organizing Committee set up by the state government under the leadership of the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Bashir Garba made visits to project sites across the state to understand the concrete steps being taken by the government to address hunger and poverty.

The two-day meeting will comprise meetings and presentations and field visits to give participants a feel of the efforts being made by Sokoto State toward eradication of hunger.

Located in the North West  part of Nigeria, Sokoto has rich agricultural potential in the areas of crop and animal production. The state is predominantly an agrarian state.

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The recommendations and resolutions which formed part of the communique was presented by Dr Kenton Dashiell, Deputy Director General (Partnerships for Delivery) at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

The Communique was signed by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former President and chairman of the NZHF, and the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima on Friday night as part of activities to end the two-day meeting that was held from 8-9 March 2018.

According to the communique presented by Dr Dashiell, members of the Forum agreed on the following resolutions, and recommendations:

It said, there is need for States to focus on crops/livestock where they have comparative advantage. States were encouraged to select at most 3 crops and one livestock for which they should give priority.

And while large scale industries are good for food processing at scale, the Forum proposed that attention should also be given to small and medium agro-industries as a linkage between smallholder farmers and large industries.

Meanwhile, the Forum recognised the efforts of the Nigerian Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bank of Industry to address financial constraints faced by farmers. Consequently, it was agreed that invitation be extended to the CBN for attendance of subsequent NZHF meetings.

Similarly, the Forum commended the CBN for the financial assistance offered to a private sector in Benue, Titus Agbecha, for the operation of his soybean processing factory and while the investment of Borno State Government in mechanisation was well received. Members of the Forum called on the State to set up appropriate mechanisms that would ensure farmers’ access to the machines. It was strongly recommended that the option of establishing agro-service centres using the public private sector approach should be adopted to ensure sustainability. It was agreed that there was the need for the Borno State to train operators on the use of machines such as tractors, and to train mechanics for repairs and maintenance.

Also, the efforts on the manufacturing of drip irrigation equipment by the Borno State were applauded, and the Forum urged the State Government to market the technology to other States in Nigeria generally, and within its zone in particular.

The Forum identified cassava as a poverty fighter, and a crop that could help the State in job creation for youth and women. Consequently, the Forum proposed that the State Government should commit investments in the cassava value chain.

It stressed further that to attain sustainable development and continuity of programs, the Borno State Government was strongly advised as a matter of urgency to create a window for the inclusion of the public private partnerships in all its development interventions, and to establish small laboratory for analysis and quality assurance.

The State’s investment in education was considered excellent and it was agreed that the Government sustain the momentum to ensure that every child has access to quality education up to secondary school level freely and compulsorily as soon as the present facilities under construction are completed.

The Forum, also commended the IITA for its engagement with States through technical backstopping on various projects such as weed management in cassava, yam aeroponics, and the donation of seeds. Other partners that received commendation were the World Food Program (WFP) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The proposal by FAO to join forces and support the NZHF was well received and appreciated.

Agreeing that the next meeting be held during June 2018 by Sokoto State, the Forum also commended the presentations from all the States on the progress being embarked on towards the attainment of Zero Hunger, and the steps being taken by Ebonyi State in addressing the issues raised by the Forum during the previous meeting.

Inaugurated in 2017, the NZHF is a peer review/advisory mechanism formed by former President Obasanjo with IITA as a technical partner in response to calls by the United Nations for countries to achieve Zero Hunger by 2020. The Form adopts moral suasion as a tool to encourage states to work towards the attainment of Zero Hunger.

The meeting in Borno had in attendance representatives of the 5 Pilot States namely Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ogun and Sokoto, and other States: Bauchi, Enugu, Nasarawa, and Oyo.

Other participants comprised the technical partner to the NZHF, IITA; World Food Program (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the private sectors, farmer groups, members of the Borno State traditional council, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

State executives at the meeting were the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima; Deputy Governor of Borno State,   Maman Usman Durkwa; Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State,   Kelechi Igwe; and the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Yetunde Onanuga. The Governor of Benue State was represented by the State’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr. James Abua.

Each of the pilot States made presentations reflecting what the States are doing towards achieving Zero Hunger, and how the previous NZHF meetings in Benue and Ebonyi influenced their actions. The meeting also heard a testimony from a private sector player (a soybean processor in Benue State), Titus Agbecha, on how the NZHF’s meeting in Benue positively impacted the operations of his factory.

A field visit was conducted to Farm Center, Seed Multiplication Center, Machinery Shade, Drip Manufacturing Center, Girls’ Schools, Industrial Layout, and the State’s University to have a first-hand experience of the practical steps the Borno State Government has taken towards the achievement of Zero Hunger.

A 20-minute video that presented information on several other achievements that were not visited included a new Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp with drip irrigation for additional food production, poultry production, fish production, and special programs for youth and women in agriculture.

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The former President made this conclusion on 7 November at the NZHF meeting in Ebonyi state. The Ebonyi meeting was the second NZHF assembly after Benue hosted a similar one in June.

“I see a healthy competition between states which is good, ” the former President said as participating governors recounted progress made towards food security in their respective domains.

The governors said that in less than a year the Zero Hunger initiative was already having a positive impact on the food security of their states.

According to them, the initiative through its peer advisory/review mechanism has brought a new vigor and zeal to the agricultural sector with more commitments by participating states. They also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his strong support to the states’ agricultural programs.

For Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, there is now a realization of untapped agricultural opportunities that the state can explore to benefit its people, thanks to the NZHF.

Describing the Zero Hunger Forum as a great initiative, Governor Ortom said the state keyed into the initiative with the conviction that it would help the state to maintain its pride as the food basket of the country.

“We have keyed into this program and believe that through NZHF, Nigeria will be helped,” he added.

The governor explained that the recently passed anti-grazing bill was aimed at promoting peace between herdsmen and crop farmers with a view to achieving zero hunger by 2030. He further announced that the state would also facilitate peace between the people of Agila in Benue and Ngbo in Ebonyi to end the border crises and bring peace in that area, so farmers can go back to farming.

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state said the benefits of the Nigeria Zero Hunger initiative were priceless as participating states were learning from each other.

“When we went to Benue, we learnt from them and today, Benue and other states are here to also learn from us,” he said.

 The Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Usman Mamman Durkwa, expressed gratitude to the NZHF for the support given to the state early this year to cushion the effects of insurgency. Particularly mentioned were the “seeds of renaissance” from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), AfricaRice, and ICRISAT, and the rice from Ebonyi to feed the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Borno State.  

The Zero Hunger meeting in Ebonyi was attended by more than 500 persons including policymakers and development partners.

The meeting discussed the progress made by Ebonyi state towards the attainment of zero hunger.

The President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akin Adesina who was represented by the Director (Agriculture), Dr Chiji Ojukwu, commended the implementation of the initiative and reiterated the Bank’s support to feeding Africa. He reminded stakeholders that Africa must take agriculture seriously and implement policies and programs that would engender inclusive growth.

The Director General of IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, pledged the Institute’s commitment to supporting and working with states to achieve their food security goals.

Participants at the meeting included the host, Governor Umahi of Ebonyi State, Governor Ortom of Benue State, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, Deputy Governor Alhaji Usman of Borno State, and a representative of the Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

Participants from the donor and international community included Dr. Sanginga, Director General of IITA; Dr. Ojukwu, Director (Agriculture) of AfDB; Dr. Abiodun Oladipo, World Food Program; Dr. Abraham Shaibu, AfricaRice; Dr. Tawanda Muzhingi, International Potato Center (CIP); members of Ebonyi State Executive Council, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, academia, the private sector, farmer groups, traditional rulers, and members of the press.

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