A socio-cultural group, identified as Egbe Ilosiwaju Ile Yoruba, on Friday, tasked the government at all levels, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders to develop effective measures to tackle food insecurity in the country.

The group also advocated the creation of a secure and enabling environment for farmers to increase food productivity, just as it distributed cassava flakes to more than 2,000 widows in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Chairman of the group, Azeez Komolafe, contended that the gesture was aimed at assisting the vulnerable to reduce the effect of the current economic crisis on them.

While imploring Nigerian leaders and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector on strategies to checkmate food insecurity in the country, Komolafe underscored the need for the people to embrace farming.

He stated, “We came together as a group to see how we will promote our tribe and how we can ameliorate the sufferings of Yoruba people, especially the aged.

“Today, we gave the little we have to over 2,000 widows, and we are aiming to do more as time goes on. It is our hope that Yoruba people, wherever they may find themselves, will be happy.

“There is hunger in the country, and I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our royal fathers, politicians, and well-meaning Yoruba people to come out to assist those in need.

“Our royal fathers and politicians need to work hard in the area of agriculture. We have to go back to the farm. Our people are hungry, and the solution now is to go back to farming.”

However, a member of the group, Abdulraheem Aduanigba, appealed to Southwest governors to empower local security to end insecurity to encourage farming.

“We want our leaders in Yorubaland to work on improving our security. The state governors should rise to this challenge and make sure Yorubaland is safe,” Aduanigba said.

“The situation now is not good, and I want to urge Yoruba state governors to empower local security forces to help with the conventional ones in ending insecurity in our territory.”