Victor EzejaNigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Insecurity has clarified that the prayer session held recently by its staff was not part of any formal policy actions being undertaken by the ministry to tackle food insecurity and boost agricultural activities across the country.
The ministry stated this in response to a report circulating on social media, suggesting that the staff prayer session was an official strategy to address national food security challenges.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelIn a statement released on Saturday signed by Assistant Information Officer, Ezeaja Ikemefuna for the Director of Information, the ministry said the prayer initiative was organised internally by the Human Resource Management Department.
It explained that the event was organised by the staff, who became apprehensive following the untimely deaths of several staff members in recent times.
Part of the statement reads: “The prayer was to address the apprehensiveness of staff over the recent untimely and successive deaths of management staff members of the Ministry.”
According to the statement, “Staff also deemed it not out of place to pray for the country.”
The Ministry stressed that the prayer session was one of several welfare initiatives, alongside monthly aerobic sessions and a recently established gym, aimed at staff members’ well-being.
The Ministry reaffirmed its dedication to agricultural development and highlighted the initiatives launched under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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According to the statement, the agricultural initiatives include:
Deployment of over 1,000 tractors to support mechanized farming;
● Distribution of over 100,000 metric tonnes of grains and rice for market stabilization;
● Donation of 2.15 million bags of fertilizer by the Central Bank of Nigeria to tackle food inflation;
● Recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture to the tune of ₦1.5 trillion;
● Launch of the National Electronic Extension Platform (NEEP) to modernize farmer outreach;
● Ongoing $600 million World Bank-backed rural roads rehabilitation project (RAAMP); and,
● Distribution of critical inputs to farmers through the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP).
Additionally, the Ministry revealed its collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to enhance resource accessibility and data integrity for farmers.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
