Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has called on Nigerian youths to redirect their energies from planned protests to agricultural pursuits, asserting that farming is the key to addressing the country’s food scarcity and hunger issues.
In a press conference held yesterday, COSEYL President General Comrade Goodluck Ibem emphasised the critical role of agriculture in solving the nation’s food crisis. “Money without food to buy cannot end hunger, but active farming by all Nigerian youths will end hunger and food scarcity,” Ibem stated.
The youth organisation expressed concern over the abandonment of farming by young people in favour of quick money schemes and other activities that contravene societal norms. COSEYL identified this shift as a major contributor to the current food shortages.
Addressing the planned protests against the Tinubu administration, COSEYL questioned the organisers’ motives.
The group suggested that some backers of the protests might be linked to sponsors of armed bandits and terrorist groups that hinder farming activities in the north.
While acknowledging the nation’s challenges, COSEYL pledged its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and its Renewed Hope Agenda.
The youth leaders commended the government’s efforts to address various national issues.
The coalition also called on northern communities affected by banditry and terrorism to hold their leaders accountable for the security situation that has displaced farmers and exacerbated food scarcity.