Olusegun Obasanjo |
Obasanjo, made the
call weekend at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture
(IITA), in Ibadan at the inaugural meeting of the 'Nigeria Zero Hunger
Strategic Review' Committee, comprising representatives of the World
Food Programme, African Development Bank, members of the diplomatic
corps, captains of industry as well as technocrats drawn from both the
public and private institutions across the country.
Addressing the
forum, Obasanjo, who is also the convener of the initiative, called for
collective change of mind from all Nigerians, insisting that a
multi-stakeholder and multi-dimensional approach is highly desirable to
achieve the goal of a zero hunger nation by 2025 ahead of the 2030
deadline given by the United Nations.
The former
president said, "It is going to take the collective effort of each and
every citizen of this great nation and our partners. It will require our
collective change of mindset to at first identify the opportunities
that abound. It is in this context that we have invited you to this
meeting."
Obasanjo expressed
worry that in spite of the present high rate of unemployment in Nigeria,
the vegetables, cucumber, carrots, lettuce and other fruits being
consumed in many hotels in the country are imported saying this is not
only disgraceful to the economic sense of the nation but also annoying.
He charged the
Federal Government to stop importation of European vegetables and fruits
without further delay, in the overall interest of Nigerians.
Also speaking at
the, Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole described the 'Zero
Hunger' as not only a well-designed initiative but also an enabler for
other good things in the nation.
The minister
expressed hope that it (initiative) will help to facilitate the
implementation of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition that was
recently approved by the Federal Government.
Representative of
the United Nations World Food Program, Stanlake Samkange and that of the
African Development Bank, Chiji Ojukwu jointly pledged their
determination to participate in the initiative with a view to
eradicating hunger in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
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