FG Strengthens Pest Defense for Food Security

 

The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to strengthen coordinated and sustainable systems for combating pest and disease invasions threatening Nigeria’s food production and nutrition security.

Speaking in Abuja at the opening of an Experts’ Workshop on the Review and Validation of the National Integrated Pest and Plant Diseases Management Strategy, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, urged stakeholders to work collaboratively and proactively to keep destructive pests out of the country’s agricultural landscape.

Describing the workshop as timely, Ogunbiyi commended participants for their commitment to building a resilient agricultural sector. He noted that the forum represents “a significant step in our collective efforts to safeguard agricultural productivity and ensure food security amid evolving pest and disease challenges.” He also acknowledged the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for its continued technical support toward achieving a pest-resilient food system.

Nigeria has in recent years faced increased threats from transboundary and migratory pests such as locusts, quelea birds, armyworms, and various invasive plant diseases. 

According to Ogunbiyi, climate variability, increased movement of goods and people, and ecological changes have heightened the frequency and severity of these incursions, making it imperative for government to strengthen surveillance, preparedness, rapid response, and coordinated management systems.

 

“Agriculture remains the backbone of our economy,” he said, stressing that recurring pest outbreaks such as Fall Armyworm, ginger blight, Tuta absoluta, quelea birds, and other invasive species have resulted in significant crop losses, lowered productivity, and economic hardship, particularly for smallholder farmers.

“These impacts extend beyond farms,” he added. “They threaten food and nutrition security, undermine livelihoods, and in some cases pose risks to national stability.”

Ogunbiyi said the National Integrated Pest and Plant Diseases Management Strategy is designed to provide a holistic, science-based framework for prevention, early detection, rapid response, and sustainable management of agricultural pests. The strategy incorporates Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles, balancing biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical control methods to protect human health, beneficial organisms, and the environment.

He emphasized the need for adaptive solutions in the face of emerging pests, resistant pathogens, climate-driven pest migrations, and evolving farming systems. 

He urged experts at the workshop to ensure the reviewed strategy is both scientifically rigorous and practically implementable, and aligns with regional and international pest surveillance and control frameworks.

The Permanent Secretary reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening extension services, building farmer capacity, and ensuring adequate resources for pest monitoring, early warning, and rapid response.

Earlier, Director of Plant Health and Pest Control Services, Dr. Grace Iwendi, said the workshop provides a strategic platform to harmonize expert knowledge, field data, global best practices, and national priorities.

“Our goal,” she said, “is to produce a dynamic, science-driven, and actionable national strategy that enhances Nigeria’s ability to prevent, detect, control, and manage transboundary and migratory pests in a timely and coordinated manner.”