To bolster food security and protect agricultural investments, the federal government has deployed 10,000 agro rangers across 19 states and the FCT.
Farmers’ associations praised the federal government for the development while calling for an increase in number to ensure the initiative has a meaningful impact.
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos chapter, and the Poultry Association of Nigeria made this appeal in separate interviews on Tuesday in Lagos.
These rangers, part of a program led by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, are tasked with providing security for farmers and farmlands as part of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s broader strategy to address challenges in food production and inflation.
Olusegun Dada, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, announced the deployment, which aims to safeguard farmlands and ensure the safety of farmers who have increasingly been targeted by violent attacks.
Mr. Shakin Agbayewa, Deputy Chairman of the AFAN Lagos chapter, praised the initiative but urged the government to deploy more rangers.
In his words: “This is a great step in addressing food security in the country. It is a good step because if our farms are not secure, achieving food security will be like paying lip service.
He continued, “This food insecurity can explode and consume the nation if we do not address it. The government is now awake by providing these agro-rangers to protect our farms.
“However, considering the size of the agro-rangers deployed to each state, what is the land capacity they want to secure? It is quite insufficient. Depending on their deployment, are they going to be securing only one or two farms?”
Agbayewa also called for collaboration with local security outfits to ensure adequate protection of farmlands.
He further revealed that the bandits consistently collect tax from the farmers and have made food cultivation difficult.
According to him, 10,000 agro-rangers across 19 states is not enough.
He added that with adequate security, our farmers will be motivated to do more and, in the long run, curb insecurity.
Speaking further, he emphasised the greatest challenge to food security and government policies which is insecurity on our farms.
Godwin Egbebe, spokesman for the Poultry Association of Nigeria, also called for an increase in the number of agro rangers.
“It is laudable that the federal government is deploying 10,000 agro-rangers across 19 states.
“From the aggregate, each state should have about 300 rangers, but the question is, are they equipped with enough firepower to face these bandits terrorizing our farms? Will they be sufficient to cover all farm areas in their respective states? How sustainable is this initiative?
“The government should think this through. The agro-rangers should be equipped with hi-tech like drones.
“Even if they do not have firepower, they will have adequate intel for the military before they come in. Or else the agro-rangers scheme will just be like scratching the surface of insecurity on our farms,” Egbebe stated.
Akin Alabi, an agriculture expert and co-founder of Corporate Farmers International, described the initiative as a positive step towards reducing insecurity.
“The inauguration of the 10,000 agro-rangers is a fantastic initiative, a good step in the right direction towards reducing insecurity on our farmlands.
“It will also help fight against insurgency majorly affecting our farming communities and areas.
“While this may not completely solve the problem of food insecurity because there are still other factors such as climate change, logistics, funding, and creating markets, it is laudable,” Alabi noted.
He urged the federal government to create a special unit within the security agencies to train, retrain, and recruit more young Nigerians interested in joining the rangers.
His words: “This will help provide adequate security for our local farmers. Most of them have been driven to internally displaced persons camps due to insecurity issues.
“This initiative will help reduce the effect of banditry and insecurity ravaging our farms. We must, however, not play politics with the agro rangers initiative,” Alabi explained.
