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Daniel Adaji
The Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Prof. Ayo Omotayo, has urged Nigerians to stop looking down on farmers, stressing that they toil hard to produce food yet gain little from their labour.
He stated this on Wednesday in Abuja during a visit to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“Farmers struggle to bring things out from the ground and don’t even benefit from what they do. We must all learn to value farmers by producing at least a part of what we eat.” Omotayo said.
The NIPSS team, comprising participants of the Senior Executive Course 47, 2025, was received by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, DrDrarcus Ogunbiyi, on behalf of the Minister, Sen. Abubakar Kyari.
The visit focused on the theme of the ongoing course: “Blue Economy and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities.”
In his address, the Minister emphasised that Nigeria’s agriculture and blue economy are deeply connected through sectors like aquaculture, inland fisheries, irrigated agriculture, and wetland management.
Kyari noted that Nigeria’s inland waterways and coastal zones hold massive potential for boosting food security, nutrition, and rural incomes. “Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing sources of animal protein worldwide,” he said.
He also highlighted the urgency of sustainable water resource management to support agriculture and climate resilience.
According to him, integrating blue economy principles into agricultural policy is key to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals, including zero hunger, poverty reduction, and economic growth.
Kyari, however, acknowledged several challenges hindering the sector such as pollution, inadequate investment, and climate-induced stress.
He assured that the ministry remains open to innovation and collaboration to overcome these hurdles.
The event ended with the presentation of the National Agricultural Policy Document and a question-and-answer session with participants.