Ogun Farmers Want Bigger Role in Food Bank, Other Government Programmes —AFAN

News in Brief:

— AFAN has appealed to the Ogun State government to give farmers a bigger role in food security and community development programmes like the National Community Food Bank Programme.

— The association called for a coordinated system to support farmers who struggle with transport costs to attend official state events, urging for partnership status.

Farmers under the aegis of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Ogun State Chapter, have decried being often left out of agricultural initiatives in the state. They are asking the government to involve them more in programmes that concern food security and community development. 

AFAN's Ogun State Chairperson, Ganiyat Kusimo, raised the concern while speaking with journalists in Abeokuta. She said farmers should not be treated as passive spectators in programmes tied to food production, food security, rural development and community empowerment.

"Farmers are at the centre of the food system. Whenever government programmes involve food distribution, community health or food security, farmers should have a clear place," Kusimo said.

Food Bank Launch Cited as Example

Kusimo pointed to the recent launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme in Ogun State by Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as one of the initiatives where farmers should have been more visibly represented. The South-West zonal leg of the programme was launched in Abeokuta, with food banks established in Sagamu, Yewa North and Abeokuta South to serve vulnerable households, including children under six, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

The farmers' representative argued that because the programme is closely tied to food production and distribution, farmers have a direct stake in how it is planned and run. Involving them more, she said, would help government interventions better reflect the realities of the people who actually grow the food.

Kusimo commended Governor Dapo Abiodun's administration for its work on agricultural development, food security, community support and social intervention. However, she added that farmers and their recognised associations are still not sufficiently carried along in some of these programmes.

AFAN Wants Partnership Status

Kusimo urged the state government to see farmers as key development partners rather than mere recipients of agricultural support. She said the knowledge and experience farmers bring are critical to Ogun State's food security goals.

She called the government’s attention to the need for a coordinated system to inform, represent, mobilise and support recognised farmers and their associations, especially in rural areas, whenever relevant government programmes happen.

In addition, she reaffirmed AFAN's readiness to work with the state government and other stakeholders to advance sustainable agriculture, food security and rural development. 

Kusimo also called for greater youth involvement in agribusiness and stronger support for farmers to improve their livelihoods across the state.

She concluded by appreciating the government's efforts so far, while urging that farmers not be excluded from programmes designed to strengthen the state's food system.

About the NCFB Programme

The National Community Food Bank Programme is a federal social intervention scheme targeting child malnutrition and household food insecurity nationwide. The project is implemented by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and championed by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. 

It was formally launched in Abuja in April 2026, before rolling out zone by zone: the North East (Borno, April); North West (Jigawa, June); North Central (Kogi, July); and the South-West (Ogun, August). Each zonal launch included new community food banks sited close to primary healthcare centres, reflecting the programme's design of linking nutrition support directly to maternal and child health services.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, while hosting the South-West launch, said the programme was designed to go beyond conventional food handouts by creating sustainable markets for local farmers and strengthening the agricultural value chain. This is a point that lends weight to AFAN's argument that farmers have a legitimate stake in how such programmes are run.