Foodstuffs Blockade to South: Start Lagos Agric Revolution now, group tasks Sanwo-Olu
A group of foremost Lagos indigenes, Ọmọ Eko Pataki, has called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to redirect the state government’s policies in widening its agricultural investments, saying the recent action of the Amalgamated Food Stuff and Cattle Dealers (AFSCAD) which halted the convoy of trailers from bringing foodstuffs and all kinds of goods to the South should be a wakeup call.
The group made the call, on Tuesday, in a statement titled: “Governor Sanwo-Olu must start Lagos Agricultural Revolution now!” and signed by its leader, Chief Olabode George, who is also former Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Gen Tajudeen Olanrewaju, a former Minister of Communication; and Mr Gbadebo Dallas, who are both trustees of the group.
The leaders in the statement noted that Lagos is blessed with nutrient-rich agricultural fields that can quickly be marshalled into farmlands, saying it was their candid advice to Governor Sanwo-Olu to quickly reorder the state priorities in ensuring that the state becomes the new food basket of the country thereby triggering a new agricultural revolution in the state of excellence.
“The recent action of the Amalgamated Food Stuff and Cattle Dealers which halted the convoy of trailers from bringing tomatoes, peppers, onions and all kinds of good stuff to the south should awaken the leadership of Lagos State to redirect its policies in widening its agricultural investments.
“Lagos State which is naturally our foremost concern as Ọmọ Eko Pataki should henceforth impress into immediate duty a massive workforce of her unemployed youths across the IBILE traditional enclave, whipping our vast and enriched lands into a huge agricultural holding.
“It is our candid advice to Governor Sanwo-Olu to quickly reorder the state priorities in ensuring that our state becomes the new food basket of the country thereby triggering a new agricultural revolution in the state of excellence,” the foremost indigenes said.
According to Omo Eko Pataki, the available potentials, which it said were available “from Ifako-Ijaiye to Imọta, from Epe to the rolling fields to the Mangroves of Badagry” can quickly be marshalled into farmlands where various kinds of crops from tomatoes, lettuce, pepper, beans, rice, corn, yam, potatoes, cassava and many others can be planted to enhance the state’s self-sufficiency in food production.
It argued that doing this would make the threat of food blackmail easily fizzle out as there would be food surplus in the state and also available for export, saying this would boost the state Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) that could be used to develop its infrastructure.
“The threat of food blackmail will easily fizzle out as soon as we put our hands to the plough, strengthening the Lagosian food base, provoking food surplus in the food supply chain that the state itself can export beyond our boundaries.
“This will increase the internally generated revenues that we can use to develop our infrastructures. This is a wake-up call,” the group said.
