Tokunbo Abiru

The candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for senatorial bye-election in Lagos East, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, on Friday, commended the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), an initiative of the federal government aimed at achieving food security in the country.

Abiru, the immediate past Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Bank Limited, also endorsed the Lagos State Government for tackling food insufficiency and youth unemployment in the state through its Agricultural Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric-Yes).

He made these remarks in a message he personally issued on Friday in commemoration of the 2020 World Food Day under a theme, “Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together: Our Actions Are Our Future.”

According to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Day is calling for global solidarity to help all populations, and especially the most vulnerable, to recover from the crisis, and to make food systems more resilient and robust so they can withstand increasing volatility and climate shocks.

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In this same spirit, the APC candidate said the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and Lagos State Agricultural Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric-Yes) “are steps in the right direction to make food accessible, affordable and available to every home.”

Abiru said: “We are in support of Anchor Borrowers Programme and other initiatives of the federal government aimed at ensuring food security.

“We also endorse the Agricultural Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric-YES) initiated by the Lagos State Government to tackle food insufficiency and youth unemployment in the state.”

If and when elected on October 31 as a senator representing Lagos East, Abiru promised: “to support such pro-people initiatives and programmes conceived to achieve food security objectives nationwide.”

Abiru, a former Commissioner of Finance in Lagos State, noted that the 2020 World Food Day celebration, should be an opportunity for all stakeholders to step up efforts at attaining food sufficiency and banishing hunger

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He said: “As we mark the #WorldFoodDay today amid rising inflation and economic turbulence, I am aware that getting daily food requirements greatly impacts household budget of the people, not just in Lagos East and Lagos State, but also in Nigeria.

“Food is essential. It, no doubt, occupies a prime place in the order of man’s basic needs. As a result, making it available to every citizen through pro-people policies will endear people to government and government to people, irrespective of where we live on earth.

“By implication, we all need food to survive. Sadly enough, millions of people around the globe cannot afford daily food needs, while others have more than enough to share with the haves-not. To attain a fair balance, we must, as a matter of duty, endeavour to share food with the needy without let or hindrance.

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“As we celebrate this symbolic day, we call on the haves worldwide to feed one soul a day in line with the theme of the 2020 World Food Day.

“In every sphere of life, we also urge all stakeholders to work together to make food accessible, affordable and available to every soul in every home, if we must ensure the food security objectives globally,” he said.