The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to returning farmers displaced by insecurity to their communities in a bid to strengthen food security.
Ribadu made this known on Friday in Abuja during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Counter Terrorism Centre – Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA) and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
He described agriculture as the sector most severely affected by insecurity, which has resulted in food shortages for over 150 million people.
He said the government was determined to restore livelihoods, stressing the importance of addressing hunger. “I agree with the saying that a hungry man is an angry man—people are right to feel neglected,” he said.
“It is our job. It is our duty. We are taking it as our responsibility and it is a good thing.
The members of the security forces are very dedicated and they have committed themselves to work to see how to secure our country and make our people live in peace.
Security is about comparison—what were we before, what are we today, and hopefully, where are we going.
If you compare what was happening before the coming of this administration, people in Zamfara will probably testify to that. The same can be said for Borno and Kaduna States,” he stated.
The National Coordinator of NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, said the centre remained strongly committed to a non-kinetic, comprehensive approach to countering violent extremism, in line with the NSA’s strategic direction.
He noted that while military efforts remained essential, they alone could not deliver lasting peace. Poverty, marginalisation and lack of opportunity, he said, must be addressed through inclusive, whole-of-government and whole-of-society responses.
“Our Disarmament, Deradicalisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, as exemplified by Operation SAFE CORRIDOR in Gombe State, has already yielded significant gains, with many low-risk former combatants successfully rehabilitated and reintegrated.
As we expand similar efforts in the North-West, it has become increasingly evident that economic reintegration pathways are vital for sustaining these efforts and ensuring long-term peace.
It is in this context that we consider agriculture as a critical tool for driving economic empowerment, restoring livelihoods and promoting social cohesion in conflict-affected communities,” he explained.
Laka added that this informed the partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, a nonprofit research organisation established in 1967 and focused on food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable agriculture across sub-Saharan Africa.
The Deputy Director-General of IITA, Dr Denshell Kenton, said the MoU demonstrated government’s commitment to long-term change.
“Combining our knowledge and experiences will make a powerful team with great potential for success.
Our focus is on sustainable, positive change that transforms communities into better places to live.
I support the approach developed by NCTC and IITA to address both poverty and violent extremism.
We believe integrated agriculture is the way forward, and I’m confident we will succeed,” he said.
(NAN)