The Lagos State government has forged a strategic partnership with Niger State to enhance food production and security.
Lagos, as a sub-national entity, boasts the largest agricultural farmland in the country.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and his Niger State counterpart, Mallam Umar Mohammed Bago, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lagos on Wednesday, aiming to cooperate and explore their comparative advantages. The goal is to facilitate a constant supply of agricultural commodities for end consumers.
The agreement, tagged “Produce for Lagos Initiative,” is part of the efforts by both parties to align with the Emergency Food Security Initiative declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This initiative aims to cultivate thousands of hectares of land to sustain food production and supply chains.
The signing of the agreement will be followed by a massive supply of fresh farm produce, including staple foods, rice paddies, tubers, beans, legumes, maize, and grains to the Lagos Food Logistics hubs for storage and distribution.
This arrangement signifies a long-term strategic partnership between the two states, leveraging their respective strengths. Lagos is positioned as a well-organized food market for consumers, while Niger excels in arable land for agriculture and food production.
After signing the MoU, Governor Sanwo-Olu emphasized that the agreement was not a coincidence but a search for opportunities benefiting citizens of both states. He described the development as a historic partnership.
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Governor Bago, in his remarks, referred to the partnership as “a landmark” for both parties, expressing Niger State’s willingness to leverage the organized market in Lagos to boost economic activities in his state.
“This is a landmark agreement made today. Lagos is the largest consumer of agricultural resources in the country based on its population, while Niger State has the largest agricultural land. So, this Memorandum of Understanding came on the heels of exploring the strength of each state to promote food security and safety,” Governor Bago said.
Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, explained that the arrangement would help achieve price stability and guarantee farmers’ profits. She pointed out that the MoU accommodated pre-production contracts in the value chain to enable farmers to cut costs and improve output.
The commissioner mentioned that the first phase of the Food Security Systems and Central Logistics Park being built in Ketu-Ereyun, Epe, would be commissioned in December to warehouse the large supplies from Niger State.
However, she quickly added that the existing middle-level hubs would be used as distribution points for the supplied commodities in the meantime.
“This is a marriage made in heaven for our two states. This is a function of production meeting markets. Once there is an off-take market, it would catalyze the production end of the market. Then, this will lead to price stability and food availability.
Farmers’ profit will also be guaranteed, just as consumers will be happy for timely supplies. We will also have middlemen who will have regular sources of income by acting as a bridge between both ends of the market,” she stated.
