Ugochukwu Nnam, president of the Initiative for Leadership Development and Change (ILDC), has urged Nigerians to be calm and patient with President Bola Tinubu’s long-term policies on food security.

Mr Nnam made the call on Thursday in an interview in Abuja while reacting to the country’s rising cost of food items.

He said Mr Tinubu’s policies on food security were long-term ones that would yield the desired results of food surplus in the near future.

“I call on Nigerians to be patient and calm over the alarming rate of food insecurity. I am optimistic of a better future when food would be surplus for all at affordable prices going by President Tinubu’s policies,’’ stated Mr Nnam.

Mr Nnam, who commended President Tinubu for deploying some savings from fuel subsidy removal into the agricultural sector, blamed a food shortage on banditry.

According to him, many of the farms have been invaded by terrorists, causing scarcity and high cost of food.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the capacity of the APC-led government to provide the needed environmental and food security.

Mr Nnam called on Nigerian youths, particularly, to go into farming to boost food security.

The ILDC leader said that the CBN under Tinubu had initiated multibillion-naira agricultural intervention programmes to improve food sufficiency by directly reaching the farmers.

He explained that youths’ engagement in farming would galvanise economic independence and employment, where Nigeria would produce what they eat and eat what they produce.

(NAN)