Shettima Wants Agriculture Reintroduced In Schools

To achieve food sufficiency, the Presidency has called for the reintroduction of agriculture in Nigerian schools as a core part of national efforts to strengthen food security and economic stability.

Vice President Kashim Shettima made the call on Saturday in Abuja at the General Assembly of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, where he was represented by the senior special assistant to the President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwukah.

He said agriculture should return to schools not only as an academic subject but as a culture that shapes the mindset of young Nigerians.

According to him, every school should have functional farms, while agriculture clubs should be revived to teach students the value of food production, land use and agribusiness.

He said, “Agriculture must return to our schools. We must reintroduce agriculture as culture, not just curriculum. Every school should have functional farms and agriculture clubs must return—not only to teach planting, but to shape the mindset.

“Our Children must grow up knowing that food is wealth, our children must know that land is power, that farming is business and that agriculture is not punishment, but it is a possibility,” he said.

He called on leaders and institutions to be directly involved in agriculture, adding that it remains a nation-building profession that must be embraced across all levels of society.

Shettima said, “For too long in our dear nation, farming has been treated as a last option—a job for those who ‘could not make it.”

That thinking is not just wrong; it is destructive. It is a lie that has cost Nigeria food security, jobs, stability, and national pride.

Also, at the event, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, said farmers face significant security challenges but assured them of the government’s commitment to improving safety in farming communities.

He called on the Nigerian farmers to report security threats, stressing that protecting farmers was essential to national food production.

In his opening address, the president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Dr Farouk Mudi, highlighted the impact of climate change, rising input costs and insecurity on agriculture.

He said delayed rainfall, flooding and high fertiliser prices were affecting productivity, adding that stronger policies and investments were needed to secure the future of farming in Nigeria.

“We are witnessing the ‘vanishing harmattan’ and erratic rainfall patterns. In the last year, the onset of rains in the Savannah belt was delayed by nearly 21 days, followed by flash floods that decimated over 500,000 hectares of rice and maize. Two years ago, a bag of NPK fertiliser was N26,000; today, it is over N53,000. The cost of high-quality agrochemicals has risen by 300%.

“Farming is becoming too expensive for the very people who must provide the food. We must address the elephant in the room: our Livestock sector is described as “Crisis Beyond the Narrative”.

“Nigeria is a livestock powerhouse with 21 million cattle, 43 million sheep, and 82 million goats. Yet, we spend $1.5 billion (N2.2 trillion) annually importing milk and dairy products. This is because our livestock sector is trapped in a cycle of conflict. ”

Mudi further said the association lost over 10,000 lives and ₦500bn properties to farmer-herder clashes in the last 10 years.

He said, “In the last decade, we have lost over 10,000 lives and N500 billion in property to farmer-herder clashes. We have lost over three million cattle to rustling and unplanned migration. AFAN stands firmly behind the National Livestock Transformation Plan. We want our herders to become modern agribusinessmen in settled ranches, and our farmers to work their fields without fear.

“Security is the first input of agriculture. Every year, Nigeria spends $10 billion (over N15 trillion) on importing food items such as wheat, sugar, and fish. This is money that should be in the pockets of the farmers sitting in this room. For instance, we import over five million metric tonnes of wheat annually, and we import 90% of our sugar needs.”