Sanwo-Olu Hails Tinubu’s Interest-Free Loans to Farmers, Calls for Return to Agriculture
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his decision to provide interest-free loans to farmers across the country, describing the initiative as an important intervention in tackling food insecurity and strengthening national security.
Sanwo-Olu said food security remained central to the safety and stability of the country, recalling Tinubu’s declaration during his presidential campaign in Akwa Ibom State that it was the single most important security challenge requiring urgent attention.
The governor spoke on Thursday at the Lagos Food Systems Nexus 2026, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, where he called for renewed national commitment to agriculture and a return to the era when farming was a major driver of Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
He urged Nigerians to embrace agriculture once again, noting that its contribution to the economy went beyond food production to include employment generation, wealth creation and the overall development of society.
Addressing participants at the gathering, Sanwo-Olu stressed their importance to the state’s economic survival, saying they were not merely stakeholders in the government’s food security agenda but were central to the very essence of the state’s economy.
The event, themed “Food Security Is Not an Agricultural Problem: Connecting the Dots,” brought together stakeholders from government, business, academia and the development sector to explore opportunities and challenges across the food value chain.
Expanding on the theme, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said food security could no longer be viewed exclusively through the lens of agricultural production, insisting that the entire food economy must be considered.
She identified technology, logistics, processing, marketing and entrepreneurship as critical components of a functional food system, arguing that increased agricultural production alone would not guarantee food security if the wider value chain remained inefficient.
Olusanya said this understanding informed the five-year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap developed early in the Sanwo-Olu administration, adding that the Lagos Food Systems Nexus was designed to deepen collaboration and unlock opportunities across the sector.
She highlighted the growing contributions of young entrepreneurs who were building businesses in the evolving food economy, noting that some had leveraged government grants and an enabling environment to expand their operations and create jobs.
According to her, their achievements demonstrated the entrepreneurial potential of young Nigerians and the need to create an economic environment that would enable more people to turn innovative ideas into sustainable businesses.
The commissioner called for stronger partnerships among government, the private sector, academic institutions, multilateral organisations and development partners to address structural challenges and maximise the commercial opportunities within the food economy.
She also expressed appreciation to Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, for supporting the ministry’s vision and encouraging approaches that extend beyond conventional agricultural practices. She acknowledged the support of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the judiciary as well.
In her presentation, the Dean of Lagos Business School, Prof. Olayinka David-West, identified inadequate funding and inefficient logistics as major challenges limiting agricultural development and food security.
She advocated increased investment in agriculture, noting that improved funding would help the sector achieve greater productivity and contribute more significantly to the national economy.
David-West also stressed the need for efficient transportation and distribution systems to ensure that farm produce reached markets and consumers promptly, thereby reducing post-harvest losses.
She noted that farmers would be more willing to invest their resources and energy in cultivation if they had guaranteed access to reliable off-takers who could purchase their produce without unnecessary difficulties.
The professor also commended Olusanya for her commitment, passion and leadership in advancing the state’s food security agenda, particularly her efforts to bring stakeholders together to develop solutions to challenges across the sector.
