Excerpts From Soludo’s (EXTEMPORE) Speech At The Launch Of The ‘Farm To Feed’ Campaign At Amansea

Fellow Nigerians!

We have come as part of history.

We are here as part of our own response to the ongoing conversation in the country today.

While some are protesting in some parts of Nigeria, Anambra state is not protesting.

I want to use this opportunity to thank ndi Anambra and to thank all Anambra youths who have maintained the peace and are going about their businesses. All the markets are open, and everybody is going about their businesses.

Ndị Anambra, the youths have resolved that they want to take their destiny in their own hands to take positive steps to move their state and country forward.

They believe that we can do something about the crisis or the challenges that we have; that everybody has some role to play.

They are not protesting, not because they don’t feel the pain but because they want to be part of the solution.

Our youths are saying it is good to complain, good to protest but better to do something. That’s what our youths are saying, and I want to commend you that the state has not experienced anything – nobody has gathered anywhere, let alone protesting.

Ndị Anambra, we have come to launch something important, but a bit of context is necessary.

I encourage everyone that Google and either read the lyrics or listen to the song by the legendary Sunny Okosun in 1984 (40 years ago) about Nigeria, entitled; “Which way Nigeria”.

When you listen to it, you’ll think it was sang yesterday. It tells us that Nigerians have been singing songs of lamentations for decades. It didn’t start today, but what we’ve come here to say today is that it is now time for action.

After singing songs of lamentations for decades, forty years ago. He sang about the fact that we neglected agriculture, and we neglected the green revolution. And he said that it was our doom; that we need to get back to it. He challenged us to come together to save Nigeria, so Nigeria won’t die.

Sunny Okosun challenged all Nigerians and told us that with every little thing that goes wrong, we blame the government without knowing that we are all part of the government. And he said we should all come together and save Nigeria.

Today, what we’ve come to launch is the issue of citizens’ action – collective citizens’ action, in partnership with government, to eradicate hunger, once and for all, in Nigeria.

We still remember that 1984 when he sang the song was the era we had the massive austerity measures from 1982-1985. There was the issue of queuing up to buy essential commodities. You had to queue up for hours and for days to have access to buy, even when you had the money; essential commodities such as sugar, salt, even detergents, rice, vegetable oil and so on and so forth. We had to queue up. And since then, we have been lamenting about hunger. Every year, we lament about hunger, and it is now time to do something. Listen to Sunny Okosun’s song forty years ago.., and he puts it all in context.

Today, like we said, we want to launch an initiative to turn our challenges into opportunities.

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Our challenges are many as a people. Yes! There is hunger in the land. If there are pains, we feel it. Everybody feels it, but while it is good to complain about it, everybody can do something about it. This is citizens’ action against hunger, in partnership with government.

Yes! Our charge is to be the solution you want to see. It’s good to complain or protest, but it’s better to be the solution. Again, everyone can do something positive.

Yes! The government can do a whole lot, and it is in the interest of the government to do something about food security, agriculture, for everyone. Whether we are dealing with the issue of food security, it’s the duty of the government to ensure food security, but also, food inflation is the major component of headline inflation.

So, if we want to bring inflation down, we start by bringing food prices down, but today, we want to address how we can collectively bring food prices down.

And so, to have a healthy nation because food security addresses poverty. Food supply is critical, and the government can do a whole lot to enable this process.

The government can address issues of policies and incentives including access to cheap capital for cheap financing for those involved in commercial agriculture, improved seedlings and some subsidized inputs, rural infrastructure to minimize post harvest losses and improve supply chain to the urban centers.

Yes! The government can and should do something about security that stops farmers from going to the farm, irrigation schemes and so and so forth; there is quite a lot that the government can and should do. I’m part of it as a governing elite. That’s why I’m out here saying that we must do something. We do quite a lot here in Anambra to make these processes happen.

Of course, as you are aware, about three weeks ago, we again shared about a million and forty palm, coconut and other rare economic tree seedlings- cash crops which were given to ndị Anambra and that brought it to about 2.2 million seedlings we have distributed so far as part of our ten million target which we hope to complete in the next few years, that will completely bring poverty out of Anambra- a new industrial eco-system and wealth creation in the state.

We are embarking on these and then assisting small holder farmers in various ways, but today, we’ve come to launch a major initiative, which we call the “FARM TO FEED CAMPAIGN.””

This is a simple strategy and partnership deal between government at all levels and citizens, to end hunger, and to ensure massive supply within the next 12 months. It will ensure an end to hunger on a sustainable basis.

The government can provide all the incentives, but if there are no citizens or youths that can farm. If there are no grand mothers that can do the farmer, even on their balcony or the back yard, and plant something, then it’ll all come to nought.

I want to say, even for out public servants – the only job allowed by the constitution for public servants to do, as part time is farming, so everybody is allowed to farm.

Let’s turn farming, agriculture as a new national pride- OPERATION SHOW YOUR FARM, OPERATION SHOW WHAT YOU CULTIVATE. So, the next time someone says there is hunger in the land, my response is, yes! I agree, but what have you done about it. Do something about it.

For urban agriculture, with farming in sacks. Get something done. If everyone can produce in a year, just enough of one thing for the family to eat in one day; whether it is vegetables, onions, pepper, potatoes, tomatoes, I can tell you the pressure on food prices in the market will massively drop. If you can’t feed the nation, at least, feed yourself or even your family for just one day, with what you can produce.

Let us turn every vacant piece of land, even if it is five square meters. Rent a space if you can, but plant something.

I’ll say to you,here in Anambra, we are pressured to do more because we haven’t succeeded, until the hunger in the land is brought down to the barest minimum and every resident of Anambra can find something reasonable to eat at affordable prices. We can do that if everybody gets involved. My government will continue. Next year, we’ll be distributing another million seedlings, and in the next four years, when they start fruiting, the average household with ten of those seedlings will permanently be out of poverty. New industries to process them and export to send to the rest of the world are already emerging. That’s the revolution that is on, but we must now get down to basic foods.

So, let’s do something. In Anambra, we are promoting organic farming- regenerative agriculture, which we launched two years ago. We are actually de-emphasizing the use of fertilizer in Anambra. For those who can still do without it, we are going back to nature, going back to organic food because we live longer and healthier. My wife promotes healthy living, and therefore, organic food is the way to go, ultimately.

Leave no vacant spaces. We are going to be collaborating with communities, local governments, churches, schools, and so on, on this “leave no vacant space” campaign. We will work out schemes for public servants to spare some time to farm and reward public servants with the biggest outputs – food or animal husbandry. Prizes will be given to them. Same thing for the political appointees. Next year, it will be “operation show your farm”. I am going to go back to the farm. We will celebrate the farm champions.

We expect the local government chairmen to take the campaign down to their respective places, likewise, the Presidents-General, church leaders.

Ndị Anambra, Nigerians, we are Nigerians! Nigeria is the biggest black nation on earth. There is nothing we set our mind to do that we can not achieve if everybody takes responsibility. We have a saying in Igbo that “aka aja na-ebute ọnụ mmanụ mmanụ” (Its only by going to the farm and soiling your hands that you become entitled to having an oily mouth). That’s why Anambra is not protesting. Our people believe in hard work. We believe that if things are hard, we can do something about it, and that is what we have come today to encourage our people – let us be the change that we want to see.

If, after decades of lamentations, we are now launching this programme…same old story. Decades! of lamentations. We saw the civil war here; in this part of Nigeria, but there was nothing to it. People died of kwashiorkor, but we survived. We went to an era of hardship where we queued to buy essential commodities, and our people survived.

This time again, they say hunger in the land. We will not just survive. We will help to feed the rest of the country. Let’s get to work. We’ve seen far worse situations before, and we are resilient people who work hard to take their destiny in their own hands.

By dint of hard work, dedication and commitment, we shall prevail and Nigeria will realize its God-given potentials to be, not just the largest black nation in earth but also among the too five largest economies of the world. WE CAN DO IT! LET US GET TO WORK.

Complain, protest, but very importantly, BE THE SOLUTION! Today, we launch CITIZENS’ COLLECTIVE ACTION and partnership with the government on the “FARM TO FEED” Campaign.

Thank you very much!

_*Extracted by Christian Aburime*_