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Nuances from Ahmed Tinubu’s led administration signpost the redefinition of securitization from the recently released address by Dele Alake on the presidential intervention in food security. The declaration of a state of emergency on food and water security shows a good grip on what constitutes security issues. Situating it as such within the purview of the National Security Council also validates my earlier position calling on Mall. Ribadu that office of the National Security Adviser, should be seen far beyond guns, ammunitions and territorial conquests as such belongs the Hobbesian age.
My attention is drawn to measures projected to mitigate the disruptions from the fuel subsidy removal. Guarding and guiding such subsidy removal attendants gains into food and water security is highly welcome but the need to thread with caution cannot but be emphasised. The prevailing food insecurity has a nexus with climate change that affects the North and the South differently and not addressing the vexed issues of climate change could translate to a wrong approach in treating a cancerous condition. The AU’s plan to reclaim over 8000km from the desert must be tapped into as such will stem the tides of herders running away from the North since there exists lack of grass to graze. Such an unregulated transhumance pattern triggers tension with sedentary farmers who are also affected by incessant rain; evidence of climate change also, which triggers low crop yield.
Since the full weight of the Nation will be brought to bear on food security, the need to engage in a cost-benefit ratio analysis of either to dredge the river Niger of Lokoja Axis or to outrightly situate a dam in this flood-prone axis cannot be overemphasized. The decision of the federal government to invest gains from fuel subsidy removal into infrastructural deficit cannot but be commended as such investment will constrict the socioeconomic disruptions of the Lokoja Abuja Corridor. If dredging will also assist in an uptick in patronage for waterways transportation, experts should be engaged and the nation should be holistic in its approach. An effort in this direction will further empower farming communities along the riverbank to contribute immensely towards the food security of the nation.
Mr President, on your plans to activate land banks which target 500,000 hectares of land to increase the availability of arable land for farming. Kindly, engage all ungoverned spaces for total clearing and onward engagements for cultivation in meeting the 500,000hct target. By zeroing down on the ungoverned spaces, you would have dislodged the Forwarding Operational Bases (FOB) of terror cell groups that use ungoverned spaces for violence operations planning, recruitment, radicalization, training, and violence crime committal. Your Excellency, kindly discounted the idea of bringing foreigners for mechanized farming, as Nigerian farmers can hit the ground running in that aspect. The interest of the Landowners must be advanced and protected while leasing arrangements spanning over decades could be considered. Foreign expertise to create a value chain around our agro-industry should be considered only where Nigerians lack the wherewithal and, this should be conscientiously done with technology transfer at heart.
Technology transfer without endangering national security is very crucial at this time of vaunting for the digital economy. South Africa got it right when she launched her Satellites from her soil, bringing the technologists into her ivory tower of learning, thus snowballing and crystalising technology transfer as against Nigeria that went to the US to assemble hers and subsequently launched from a foreign land. The same grave errors of the past must be seen avoided in this administration’s stride toward evolving a digital economy. The recent challenge to state governors to search for sources of renewable and play complementary roles in energy generation brings the issue of technology transfer to mind. The federal government should be aware that the more Nigeria can deepen and drive her economy with renewable energy the more fuel subsidy hangovers will fade into the background.
Interestingly, in achieving the targeted all-year-round-farming, Nigeria must still wean her teeming farming communities off petroleum usage products to power their pumping machines and this is where Solar driven pumping machines are needed. These essential tools must be guided into the hands of its recipients, particularly in the North. The distribution of such tools should be seen as the beginning of collating household farmers’ data. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has roles to play in this order, not only as the lead agency in the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure and their roles as Agro Ranger specialist but to avail the nation due diligence on the background checks of participants to receive all these inputs. The solar-driven pumping machines must be complemented with improved drought-resistant seeds and seedlings. The repayment of these household farming inputs concessions should be in produce in returns which should be seen siloed as reserves. Escalating this concept into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement will go a long way to ensure accountability and value for public money invested. Days when public funds are treated as national cake should be over. All beneficiaries should have such benefits reflected in their profile to generate adequate credit ratings, as such will count against defaulters.
Concerningly, there is no way Nigeria can securitise food and water and the security agencies involved in delivering these giant strides will not be included in the National Security Council (NSC). It will interest Mall. Nuhu Ribadu, that the responsibility of enriching the NSC beyond the tones of guns, ammunitions, and State territorial conquests, rests on his shoulders. This will entail bringing Custom Service, Civil Defence, Correctional Service, NDLEA, and Immigration Services on board of the National Security architecture as seen in nearby Ghana. Therefore, Mall. Ribadu should be seen pushing for the immediate command decentralization of security services, to respond seamlessly to the security needs of federating units like Nigeria as against a concentric and unitary approach presently foisted on the nation (Mungadi et al., 2021).
While the immediate release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households is essential, adequate security measures should be emplaced so that such releases are accurately guarded and guided into the hands of the right end users. Fertilizers haphazardly handled in the hands of terror cell groups is an empowerment unto IED production and the same goes for grains, as indirectly feeding insurgents will further negatively aggravate the counterinsurgency operations of the military and other security agencies in the country. The agency encumbrance with the roles of fertilizers’ safe distribution is the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), particularly the Chemical Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives Unit (CBRNE). Interestingly, the NSCDC is also the lead agency in the protection of Nigeria’s Critical National Assets and Infrastructure, hence all hands must be on deck to ensure that such duties and beyond are concisely discharged.
Mr. NSA sir, the public domain is rife with doubts as to the capabilities of deploying monthly N8,000 into the traceable hands 12m Nigerians for the next 6 months. This doubt is informed by the opaque operations of the traders’ monies programme of which Nigerians cannot be faulted for doubting their leadership having been grossly disappointed in time past. The capabilities of this administration to achieve such loft objective will put to rest such prevailing doubts and will further enhance the trust of Nigerians in the leadership and this is one task that this administration should strive to achieve.
*Dr. ONIBIYO Ezekiel, a security analyst and a fellow Chartered Accountant, holds a PhD in Finance*
