AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
Professor Victor Olawale Adetimirin, an expert in Plant Breeding and Crop Production at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan, has called for the creation of Plant Breeding Rescue Agenda 2050 for Nigeria.
Adetimirin said this would address the development of improved varieties of food, feed and fibre crops in a holistic manner that is One-Health oriented.
The don spoke while delivering the 541st Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Agriculture.
The lecture was entitled ‘Black Pot, White Gruel,’ an allegory and expression of hope that out of the Black Pots of the nation, Federal Universities in Nigeria and the University of Ibadan, White Gruel will still emerge.
According to Adetimirin, the conception, implementation and delivery of the agenda must have a strong and comprehensive Agricultural Extension component.
The agenda, he stressed, must be of Nigeria-for-Nigeria, driven by Nigeria and fully funded by Nigeria in a bid to demonstrate that Nigeria is ready to change its narrative among the comity of nations.
He stated that Nigeria’s Plant Breeding Rescue Agenda 2050 could not be funded by countries that Nigeria is struggling to liberate itself from.
He said, “The Agenda must not be the usual Nigerian thing. It must be free from Nigeria’s politics, her shenanigans and corrupt practices.”
Adetimirin added that “The agenda must have a zero budget for international trips as the expertise required to deliver it is within the shores of Nigeria.
“Beyond addressing One Health issue holistically, Agenda 2050 is proposed as an economic emancipation agenda that will not only ensure that Nigeria relocates all jobs associated with seed production of all crops to Nigeria, but also ensure that the billions of naira realised from the sale of seeds remain in Nigeria.”
The inaugural lecturer also urged the government to support relevant researchers and research institutions in Nigeria to develop improved varieties of all vegetable crops comparable in agronomic and consumer-preferred traits to arrest the importation of seeds of vegetable crops into Nigeria.
Stating that no nation can be food secure without being seed secure, Adetimirin said seed companies in Nigeria should be given incentives to go into vegetable seed production of developed improved varieties to stop the uncontrolled influx of imported vegetable seeds into Nigeria.
The professor is involved in addressing important constraints to crop production; he started the first breeding programme on supersweet maize in West Africa; and led initiatives to unravel other complex factors influencing seed emergence and seed longevity.
