By Mercy Omoike and Aderonke Ojediran

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reiterated the importance of food security, assuring residents of the state’s commitment to strengthening the food system.

Sanwo-Olu made this known at the 2026 Lagos Food Systems Nexus held on Thursday in Ikeja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, with the theme, “Food Security is not Agriculture Problem: Connecting the Dots”, had in attendance stakeholders across the agricultural value chain.
The governor described food security as the most important form of security, stressing that access to affordable food remained a major challenge globally.
He said food security had become a critical livelihood issue that required urgent attention from governments at all levels.
“The most important security is not gun, is not bows, is not arrow. The most important security globally today is food.
“Food continues to be a major conversation that nationals, both advanced nations, emerging nations, and even third world nations, are still grappling with.
“Food becomes the most single important livelihood of man, and as a nation, as a people, we have so much neglected it that we feel that as Lagos, we have to put it on the front border,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said President Bola Tinubu had also recognised the importance of supporting farmers, including through interest-free financial assistance, to address food security challenges.
He said the Lagos Food Road Map, initiated about four years ago, remained on course, with funding and support from the private sector, state governments and the Federal Government.
The governor, however, stressed that the success of the initiative depended largely on the active participation of stakeholders and practitioners across the food value chain.
He urged participants to understand the state’s vision and contribute to efforts aimed at building a sustainable food system.
On her part, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Lagos State, Ms Abisola Olusanya, said the state’s approach to food security went beyond agricultural production.
Olusanya said her experience in public service over the past seven and a half years had reinforced the understanding that the food economy extended beyond farmers.
She explained that food security involved businesses responsible for processing agricultural produce, markets, technology and other activities connecting food production to consumers.
She said increased agricultural production alone does not necessarily guarantee food security, making it necessary to address challenges across the entire food system.
She said Lagos had adopted a broader approach by recognising food security as both an economic and agricultural issue.
Olusanya described the Lagos Food Systems Nexus as an outcome of efforts to expand the understanding of agriculture and strengthen connections across the food economy.
She said the event brought together stakeholders whose expertise and decisions were critical to the future of food, including the private sector, academic institutions, multilateral organisations and development partners.
The commissioner urged stakeholders to explore opportunities across the food economy and strengthen collaboration to address existing challenges.
She said a more coordinated approach would help unlock the commercial potential of the food sector and promote sustainable food security.
“As we begin today’s conversations, I hope we will look at the food economy with fresh eyes.
“That we will recognise opportunities beyond our individual areas of expertise, and begin to appreciate how much more is possible when we understand the connections between them,” Olusanya said. (NAN)
DMO/AOF/GA

Edited by Grace Alegba