Saraki, others hail Sen. Orji over famous bill

An unprecedented bill seeking to tackle hunger and well-being
of every child sponsored by Senator Theodore Orji
representing Abia central has been unanimously adopted and
supported by the senators.
The bill which was the eighth in Sen. Orji’s 11 months in the
Red Chambers of the National Assembly, titled: A bill for an
Act to make provision for freedom from hunger and right to
adequate food of acceptable quality, right of every child to
basic nutrition and for connected purpose is on qualitative
food security for the less privileged.

This was in line with Sen. Orji’s socio-political philosophy
(youth empowerment programmes) while serving as the
executive governor of Abia State which created wealth for
over 5000 youths mostly from poor background.
In his lead debate on the Food Security Bill, Senator Orji had
submitted that Nigeria was one of the few countries of the
world that has no legal framework for food security hence
there was no accessibility to quality and adequate food
security by Nigerians.
He noted that the bill, if passed, would compel government
to provide quality food as part of its primary responsibilities.
Speaking, yesterday, while contributing to the bill; Senator
Tinubu commended the former Abia State governor for the
bill and other lawmakers who contributed, saying the bill had
come at a very trying time in the country.
“This present administration has placed priority on
agriculture. It is going to take time. When we get to the
committee, we are going to look at it critically. Even next
month, we are not going to see but this administration will
make sure that we can put food on our table,” Mrs Tinubu
said
Contributing also, Senator David Jonah Jang, representing
Plateau North, decried the Federal Government’s non challant
attitude to agriculture, stressing that if nothing was done as
quickly as possible, Nigerians would be faced with famine.

Jang explained that there was no kind of food that cannot be
produced in Nigeria, while calling for coordinated effort by
government to make sure that foods produced through
agriculture were processed for consumption.
He said: “Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, Nigeria
have never taken food security seriously in the past and this
bill seeks make sure that foods produced by farmers were
processed for consumption.”
Senator Sam Egwu on his part regretted that private investors
were currently losing their investments for lack of proper
legal framework that would support their effort.
Egwu pointed that the Nigeria Agricultural Reinsurance
Company have abdicated its responsibilities in mitigating
losses of farmers, thereby further frustrating the effort of
farmers.

“Distinguished colleagues, in Ebonyi State currently, those
who invested in agriculture in recent years were incurring
losses and the agricultural insurance companies were not
helping matters,” he added.
In his contribution also, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia
South), noted that sustainable farming and food were some
of the major problems existing in the country. He also
stressed the need for the setting up of an agency to handle
agricultural mishaps in the country. He said:
“We are talking about something very serious which is the
stomach. There are so many problems in the country and
part of the difficulties we are having today are subsistence
farming and food. “I will support anything that will help us
with the problem.
“Another aspect that was not brought out well is the bill for
an agency that will be able to forecast what will happen
when we are not able to handle the agricultural activities.”
Also in his contribution, Senator Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi
Central) said: “The pride of any nation is to keep itself.
Unfortunately, Nigeria has been caught in a trap.”
After various contributions in favour of the bill which has
broaden people’s knowledge on their right to food, the
President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki,
commended the sponsor of the bill and foresight of
senators, while referring the bill to the Committee on
Agriculture for further legislative inputs.

Recalled that Sen. Orji has in less than one year given 60
indigent undergraduates from the six local government areas
that make up Abia central scholarship, as well as empowered
over 500 apprentices farmers and transporters with items
ranging from, buses, tricycles, fertilizers, sewing machines,
grinding machines bill