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The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has refuted media reports alleging that the ministry has scheduled a three-day prayer session to combat the nation's food security challenges saying that the prayer programme was introduced in response to the recent spate of untimely deaths among senior management staff, which had created unease within the ministry.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by the Assistant Director, Mr Ezeaja Ikemefuna on behalf of the Director of Information, where the ministry explained that the alleged prayer programme was not a ministerial policy but rather an internal initiative by the Human Resource Management Department.
“The attention of the Ministry has been drawn to an internal circular being circulated by online media. The circular pertains to a prayer session organised by the Human Resource Department to address staff wellbeing.
“It is not an official policy of the Ministry to address agricultural or food security issues through prayer sessions,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the prayer session was no different from other welfare activities initiated for staff wellbeing, such as monthly aerobic exercises, the establishment of a gymnasium, and regular medical check-ups.
The ministry maintained that this was not a replacement for the ongoing policy and infrastructural measures aimed at ensuring food and nutrition security in the country assuring that it had stepped up interventions to improve agricultural productivity and reduce food inflation.
For instance, It said that over 1,000 tractors had been procured to support mechanised farming, while strategic efforts were made to stabilise food prices through the release of 42,000 metric tonnes of grains and an additional 58,200 metric tonnes of milled rice under the Strategic Grain Reserve programme.
Also, the Central Bank of Nigeria donated 2,150,000 bags of fertilisers to the ministry, which were distributed to farmers to mitigate rising food prices.
The statement equally noted that the Federal Government has approved the recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture to the tune of N1.5 trillion, one of the largest financial interventions in the sector to increase farmers’ access to affordable credit.
It also disclosed the launch of the National Electronic Extension Platform (NEEP), a digital initiative designed to improve the reach and efficiency of agricultural extension services nationwide.
In a bid to revitalise cooperative societies, the ministry said it had organised capacity-building workshops at Federal Cooperative Colleges in both the North and South, aimed at strengthening their role in economic development and rural empowerment.
In partnership with the World Bank, the ministry said earmarked $600 million for the rehabilitation of 200,000 kilometres of rural roads under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), which seeks to improve market access for farmers and reduce post-harvest losses.
As parts of efforts to support farmers during the planting season, the ministry said it procured and distributed free essential agricultural inputs, including fertilisers, agrochemicals, seeds, and other materials.
It also noted that thousands of farmers have benefited from the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), which provides subsidised farm inputs to boost production.
The ministry also assured that plans are underway to strengthen transparency and data management in the sector as the ministry is partnering with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to verify farmers’ identities to enhance access to government interventions and services.
“The Ministry wishes to emphasise that the prayer session is an internal welfare initiative intended to address concerns over recent staff deaths and not a strategy for tackling food insecurity,” the statement said.