Members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Ogun State, have said that Nigeria is still far from being completely food sufficient, saying any system where demand for food does not match supply risks food crisis.

At the sixth Waheed Kadiri annual lecture of the NITP, in Abeokuta, with the theme: ‘”Food Security In Nigeria: Impetus For Growth and Development,” they claimed that for Nigeria to develop, food security must be sustained through increase in production activities.

Deputy Governor of the state, Engr. Noimot Salako- Oyedele, who attributed non-compliance with physical planning regulations and laws in the course of construction of buildings by people, said the situation had led to the deterioration of housing conditions and equally prevented provision of adequate infrastructural facilities, which in turn have adverse consequences on physical planning, as well as food security.

In his welcome address, the Chairman NITP, Ogun State Chapter, TPL. Oladunjoye Arowosegbe, said the theme of the lecture was timely, noting that food security is a multi-dimensional phenomenon with economic, environmental and social aspects.

He said any system where food demand is not matched with supply risked food crisis, pointing out that Nigeria is still far from being completely food sufficient.

The Guest Speaker, Head of Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof. Idris Ayinde said despite international organisations’ efforts on food security, the number of undernourished people in the world had been on increase since 2014.

He said for Nigeria to develop, food security must be sustained through increase in production activities in the industrial mining, metallurgy sub-sector, as no country could achieve socio-economic growth without the development of its agricultural sector.

Prof Ayinde said: “Food insecurity in Nigeria is currently at alarming rate, calling for urgent and immediate intervention. The precarious state of food insecurity in Nigeria is occasioned by chronic and hidden hunger, extreme poverty, corruption, conflict events and unfavourable climate change.”

In his remarks, the former National President of the Institute, Tpl Waheed Kadiri, appreciated government’s readiness to put an end to food insecurity in the State and Nigeria at large.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN