Victoria Mbangwa
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with the media to promote food security and agricultural development in Nigeria.
This was made known during a one-day workshop themed “Building Partnership with the Media for Food Security,” held on Wednesday, in Karu, Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, emphasized the need for a stronger synergy between the ministry and journalists to inform Nigerians about agricultural innovations and efforts to achieve food and nutrition security.
He highlighted the critical role of the media in shaping public discourse, promoting transparency, and educating farmers about government policies and initiatives.
Dr. Ogunbiyi outlined the ministry’s alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes agricultural development, job creation, and food sufficiency.
He said, “The Ministry recognizes the importance of effective communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing in achieving our lofty objectives. This workshop is, therefore, a critical step towards fostering a deeper understanding of our Ministry’s activities, programmes and projects among media correspondents for proper reportage.
“This workshop will also provide an update on our activities, programmes and projects and address recent developments and expectations as they affect the reportage of our activities and most especially activities in the agricultural sector of our country.
“As the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, I want to start by acknowledging and appreciating the vital role the media plays in shaping public discourse, promoting transparency and holding governments accountable. Your tireless efforts to inform, educate and entertain the public are fully commendable.”
Dr. Ogunbiyi also announced the ministry’s plans to distribute agricultural inputs and implements to farmers in the coming months, underscoring the government’s dedication to supporting smallholder farmers and mitigating hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.
“Over the next few hours, we will be sharing our vision, goals, and achievements in the agricultural sector in line with the vision of the Renewed Hope Agenda of our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR which focused on promoting agricultural development, improving food security, creating jobs and providing employment and enhancing livelihoods of our farmers.
“I am indeed highly honoured to be hosting this important workshop, which is the second edition in the series, and which is the ministry’s continuing strong identification with members of the fourth estate of the realm. This workshop has indeed become expedient, given the emphasis the present administration places on agricultural development and the priority it attaches to the attainment of food security, self-sufficiency in food and nutrition as well as staple commodities for export.” He said.
The Director of Information, Dr. Joel O. Oruche, commended journalists for their continued support and called for increased coverage of the ministry’s activities.
Dr. Oruche, who is set to retire in six months, expressed gratitude for the media’s collaboration during his tenure and urged them to sustain the momentum.
As Nigeria faces global economic challenges, the Permanent Secretary reiterated the importance of diversifying the economy through agriculture, stating, The workshop concluded with a call for constructive engagement between the media and the ministry to achieve shared goals of food security and sustainable agricultural development.
