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By Madu Obi
Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, has distributed 1,050 bags of fertilizer to his constituents as part of his support to ensure food security.
Speaking during the exercise, the Senator emphasized the need for Nigerians to return to farming to address the escalating food crisis in the country.
According to Umeh, reliance on food palliatives would never be sufficient, arguing that the only way out is for everyone to engage in farming to feed themselves and their families.
He commended the federal government's efforts to provide food support, including the recent distribution of 744 trucks of rice to 774 local governments, adding however that they were insufficient to address the food scarcity.
He encouraged his constituents to cultivate food crops like yam, cocoyam, plantain, and vegetables, highlighting the fertile land in Anambra Central Senatorial District.
The senator lamented the decline of farming in recent times, leading to food scarcity and high prices.
He emphasized that Nigerians must take responsibility for feeding themselves, as dependence on government support would be unsustainable.
Umeh promised to continue fighting for more support for farmers in his constituency, including additional fertilizer distribution, to ensure a bountiful harvest and food availability.
He urged everyone to take advantage of the fertilizer distribution and engage in farming to ensure a food-sufficient future.
The senator said: "I am here to present fertilizer which the federal government gave to us for this farming season. Unfortunately, the fertilizer arrived late, but it's better late than never.
"If you watch, you will see that there is food crisis in Nigeria, as rice, beans, pepper ,yam, everything is skyward bound and the poor people no longer have access to food to eat.
"You recall that on January 18 this year, I distributed palliative rice which the federal government also gave to senators. This Senatorial District was one of the first Senatorial Districts that shared the 13,000 bags of rice. I said that time that this rice would soon finish and hunger would continue. That hunger has continued".
"Even what the federal government is doing now to bring down the effect of food scarcity by buying directly and sending to states is not enough. Nobody can feed us except ourselves. We're the people who can feed ourselves.
"That's why government has decided to support farming. In the National Assembly, we have continued to say the only way we can survive as a nation is by being productive.
If we produce what we eat, we'll be in the position to survive. If we depend on people to give us food - when government wakes up and shares rice - hunger will kill everybody".
The fertilizer distribution was attended by Presidents General of communities, traditional rulers, and leaders of farmers associations, who expressed gratitude to the senator.
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