Funding, Merger threaten Renewed Hope on Food Security

 

The well publicized Renewed Hope of food security of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ( BAT) may have been threatened as a result of lack of funding to some agricultural projects coupled with the implementation of Mr. Steve Oronsanye merger implementations that have slowed down implementation activities depending when necessary budgetary actions are provided, Foodfarmnews learnt.

It was gathered that some agricultural projects in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ( FMAFS) are not being implemented due to lack of funding, and this has negatively impacted the food security situation of the country even as Federal Government will by this week Saturday commence food distribution to vulnerable people in Nigeria starting from Minna, Niger State.

Foodfarmnews gathered from a closed source to the FMAFS departmental meeting that there were complaints of lack of funds to execute some major food security projects adding that the implementation of Oronsanye report by the FG may initially portend serious challenge in view of no preparation for budget allocations under the ministry for some of the new agencies that are merging with the main ministry.

Our anonymous source said that "Numerous projects within the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security are awaiting execution, and the recent merger has raised questions about funding allocations for the newly added departments. With the Oronsanye's report recommending the transfer of certain agencies under the FMAFS, concerns have been raised regarding the source of funding for those new intakes, especially following the approval of the 2024 budget that doesn't foresee the coming of this new merger"

The source highlighted the case of National Agricultural Land Development Authority ( NALDA) which was previously funded by the Presidency but is now expected to be financed under the Ministry of Agriculture adding where is the additional funding required for NALDA projects will come since there was no budget provision for it in the running year.

These developments underscore the pressing need for proactive measures to address funding gaps and ensure the continued implementation of crucial agricultural projects essential for safeguarding food security in Nigeria, said our source.

Another source told Foodfarmnews that those new mergers may not really portend fund challenges as such since the 2024 budget has already captured them in their initial status as individual agency, pointing out that where he foresee delay is in the administrative process. 

Mr. Steve Oronsanye report of 2012 has been recently approved by the Federal Executives Council under President Tinubu for implementation towards restructuring and rationalization of the federal agencies, parastatals and commissions.