The House of Representatives has challenged the federal government to put in place policies that will guarantee food availability to Nigerians despite the economic recession.
The House also urged FG to submit the food policy to the House Standing Committee on Agriculture Production and Services.
These followed a motion under matters of urgent public importance by Rep. Orker Jev (APC-Benue), which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.
The mover of the motion, Emmanuel Oker-Jev said there is need for the government to quickly wade into the scarcity of food which has doubled the crime rate in the country.
According to Oker-Jev, "the October 16 was World Food day as declared by the United Nations to draw attention to and committed for eradication of hunger".
He noted that the United Nations considered hunger to be the most basic of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of human rights.
Jev added that in September of 2000, world leaders signed a commitment to achieve eight Million Development Goals by 2015 and number one of it was to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Oker-Jev lamented that Nigeria lacked a sustainable food security and thus exposing the country to needless food importation.
The lawmaker further expressed worry that the cost of neglect was high as the country losses a lot when people had no food to eat.
He noted that the United Nations considered hunger to be the most basic of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of human rights.
Jev added that in September of 2000, world leaders signed a commitment to achieve eight Million Development Goals by 2015 and number one of it was to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Contributing to the motion, House Leader, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, said that agriculture should be removed from the concurrent list to residual so that it became exclusively a state issue.
According to him, there is no state that does not have food products under its soil.
"If each state can be self
sufficient, I think this issue of food insecurity will be a thing of the past .
"We should take this auspicious moment of constitutional amendment to remove agriculture from the concurrent list.
"The Federal Government has too much to do. If we do this it will be much easier to achieve food security," he said.
Another lawmaker, Rep. Sylvester Ogbaga who spoke to HallowMace after plenary on same subject berated the federal government for failing in it responsibilities.
He further said, we have so many policies that are not implemented and no country can move forward with the lip service we pay to issues.
"What happen to the fertilizer that we are suppose to give to farmers, policy of government is suppose to drive this revolution", Ogbaga stated.
Rep. Ogbaga also faulted the federal government policy on the ban on importation of food items that it is too sudden.
"It is wrong to sharply cut importation it should have been a gradual shift from importation not out rightly.
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