The national president of the Anwar-Ul-Islam movement in Nigeria, Mubashir Ojelade, says the country needs drastic changes in its agricultural policy to address food insecurity.

Mr Ojelade spoke at the 10th Ramadan lecture organised by Anwar-ul Islam Old Students Association (ACAOSA), formerly Ahmadiya College, Agege, on Saturday in Lagos.

He said the federal and state governments must evolve policies to utilise the unused hectares of land throughout the states of the federation.

Mr Ojelade said this would address unemployment and hunger. He said the two serious challenges required immediate attention.

“We have serious challenges of hunger and unemployment in the country; we have unemployment on a massive scale, yet we have unused hectares of land in all states of the federation.

“When you travel anytime in Nigeria by air, just look through the window; you will see the amount of vast uncultivated land that we have,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Lagos attorney-general and commissioner for justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), said the Islamic panacea for the current economic insecurity in Nigeria remained agriculture.

He said since many Nigerians could no longer afford three-square meals, they were economically insecure.

“We have discussed today, and the consensus of the speakers, which I also agree with, is that we need to go back to the soil where we all came from any way to ensure that we till the soil.

“We go back to economic agriculture; once we develop our agriculture sector, then surely the economy of the country will be restored to the path of growth.

“The problem we have is that we are not producing agriculture-wise, and we are not manufacturing anymore,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria remains a rich country considering its vast arable land and natural and human resources.

“The practical reality is that we actually fail because we have not maximised what God has given to us. Nigeria should not sleep; we need to work to feed ourselves,” he said.

He, however, assured that President Bola Tinubu had taken giant strides towards solving the problems of hunger and unemployment and improving the nation’s economy.

Mr Pedro appealed to state governors, irrespective of political leaning, to collaborate with the president to realise his agenda of making Nigeria great again.

(NAN)