From Femi Mustapha, Kaduna
The National President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Margaret Oguntala, has said Food security remains an essential cornerstone of national stability and prosperity, and Engineers have an indispensable role to play in securing it.
She said this during the Engineer Mahmud Urwatu Armiya’u’s Biennial Lectures and Award Night held in Kaduna on Sunday.
The NSE President who was represented by Engr. Rachael Serum Said the engineering capabilities in infrastructure, technology, irrigation, mechanized farming, and logistics are integral to building a robust and resilient food system that can withstand challenges and meet the nutritional needs of our growing population” she emphasized.
She stressed that the theme of the lecture which is ‘National Food Security: The Way Forward’, could not be more timely or relevant.
Speaking in his keynote address at the 11th edition of the Engr. Mahmud Urwatu Armiya’u Biennial Public Lecture and Awards Presentation, Major General Victor Ezugwu (rtd), a former Director General, Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) while quoting the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said 30 farmers from Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and Kebbi states died from insecurity from 2015 to 2020.
He then noted that there is a direct nexus between security and food production, “Military and other security agencies alone cannot secure Nigeria’s food production.”
He listed poverty, unemployment, corruption and bad governance, ethno-religious and ideological tension, declining military professionals, lethal combatants, and plummeting cohesion within the armed forces as causes of insecurity in Nigeria.
On the way forward, he said there is a need for military and national strategies, including rejigging of enduring and sustainable joint military operations and strengthening the national border security network to deter arms smuggling and illegal entry of terrorists into Nigeria.
“The military must migrate from its present attrition strategy to 21st-century war mode, and prioritize community policing, Northern states should adopt an agricultural policy that will make families, villagers, and schools establish seasonal farms to boost production as well as champion efforts to address the root causes of poverty, unemployment, and good governance among others,” he added.
The NSE, Kaduna Branch Chairman, Engr. Arege Bawa commended the foundation for sponsoring engineering research initiatives in Nigerian universities, providing postgraduate scholarships for underprivileged yet gifted students in engineering disciplines, and awarding prizes to students in selected fields of engineering.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Dr. Bello Armiya’u expressed the family’s appreciation for the honor done to their late father and grandfather and described it as a demonstration of bestowing honor to whom it is due.
Engr. Mahmud Urwatu Armiya’u was the first registered engineer in Northern Nigeria.
