By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has called for stronger synergy among government institutions, researchers, financial bodies, development partners, technology experts, agribusiness investors and farmers to tackle food insecurity and reposition Nigeria’s agricultural sector for sustainable growth and job creation.
Akpabio made the call on Wednesday, 13 May, 2026 during the maiden National Legislative Summit and Expo on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State.
The summit, themed, “Unfolding the Potential of Agricultural Colleges and Institutions Through Collaboration and Innovation to Enhance Food Security and Job Creation,” attracted lawmakers, policymakers, academics, development partners and key stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.
Represented by the Deputy Senate Majority Leader, Isa Ashiru, the Senate President stressed that the future of agriculture must be driven by innovation, mechanisation, research and technology rather than outdated farming methods.
“The government alone cannot transform agriculture. Educational institutions alone cannot do it. Farmers alone cannot do it. The private sector alone cannot do it,” Akpabio said.
He maintained that meaningful transformation would only be achieved when all stakeholders operate within a coordinated ecosystem capable of bridging the gap between research, policy implementation and practical application.
“Transformation happens when government, academia, researchers, financial institutions, development partners, technology experts, agribusiness investors and farmers work together within one integrated ecosystem,” he stated.
Furthermore, Akpabio urged stakeholders to dismantle institutional barriers and embrace modern agricultural solutions capable of addressing emerging global challenges.
“We must dismantle institutional silos and build bridges between research and practice, between policy and implementation, between innovation and accessibility,” he added.
The Senate President also stressed the need to reposition agriculture as a profitable and technology-driven sector capable of attracting young Nigerians.
“We cannot solve 21st-century problems with 20th-century methods. Our young people are creative, energetic and technologically savvy. We must make agriculture attractive, profitable, mechanised and innovation-driven,” he said.
According to him, agriculture should no longer be seen as a fallback option for unemployed youths but as a strategic platform for wealth creation and economic expansion.
“Agriculture must no longer be presented as punishment for failure, but as a frontier of opportunity and wealth creation. The future farmer may operate drones, use artificial intelligence for crop analysis, deploy digital irrigation systems and manage greenhouse technology,” Akpabio stated.
Meanwhile, he reaffirmed the commitment of the National Assembly to policies and initiatives aimed at improving food security, rural development, youth employment and agricultural industrialisation.
“A hungry nation cannot be peaceful. A hungry people cannot be stable. Hunger weakens productivity, fuels social tension, deepens poverty and threatens national cohesion,” he said.
He, however, urged Nigeria to move beyond subsistence farming and position itself as a competitive player in agro-processing and global agricultural exports.
“We must move from being merely consumers to becoming exporters. We must move from raw production to agro-processing. We must move from dependence to competitiveness. We must move from potential to performance,” Akpabio added.
Similarly, the Director-General of IITA and Regional Director for Africa, Simeon Ehui, emphasised the importance of collaboration and innovation in achieving sustainable food security across the country.
Ehui explained that IITA had continued to develop agricultural technologies targeted at addressing hunger, malnutrition, poverty and environmental degradation across Africa.
“We work with a variety of partners across and beyond Africa to improve lives, food and nutrition security, increase employment and protect natural resource integrity,” he stated.
Additionally, he disclosed that the institute recently partnered with the Federal Government to establish 774 soil testing laboratories nationwide, while also promoting youth agribusiness development through agreements with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Ministry of Youth Development.
“We look forward to engaging in a successful and continuous partnership aimed at improving technology delivery to our large farming and agro-industrial stakeholders,” Ehui said.
“I passionately believe that through our collaboration in implementing bold reforms and initiatives on food security, we will achieve multiple successes worthy of celebration,” he added.
Earlier, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, described the summit as a strategic platform designed to promote dialogue, innovation exchange and policy development within the agricultural sector.
“This gathering is not merely ceremonial; it is a platform for meaningful dialogue, strategic partnerships, legislative engagement, innovation exchange and actionable policy recommendations that will strengthen agricultural colleges and institutions across the country,” Alli stated.
