The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ogun State, Dr. Rotimiolu Akinlesi, who is also an agriculture expert said equitable access to clean water will help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda of eradicating hunger by 2023, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Akinlesi disclosed this while delivering his speech to small-scale farmers drawn from 20 Local Councils of the state, at the 2023 World Food Day with the theme: “Water is Life, Water is Food. Leave no one behind,” organised by the Association of Small-scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN).

At the event, held in collaboration with the Diocesan Agricultural Development Programme (DADP) of the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), at the JDPC Complex, GRA, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, he said the availability and accessibility to clean and reliable water was an inalienable right, which no one should be excluded from its benefits.

He stated further that the significance of water to human lives and society at large cannot be overemphasised, saying it was not only a life-sustaining element but also a critical factor in the development of the agricultural sector.

Dr. Akinlesi said that “as much as water may be abundant, its accessibility poses numerous challenges to many around the globe and this must be addressed.”
He noted that managing water wisely; effective usage of the agrifood water system, re-usage of water, safeguarding water and aquatic food system, provision of affordable nutritious food for everyone in the face of climate change, and increasing demand would provide a lasting solution to the challenges.

In his keynote address, the Director, of JDPC, Rev. Fr. John Ngoyi stated that government, private sectors, stakeholders, and civil society organisations should be accountable to improve the food system being the fundamental human right of the citizens of any given State.

Mrs Alli. Adejoke Niyilolawa, one of the farmers at the occasion said that “water is life” and as a farmer a very important resource needed for either livestock or crop planting, appealing to the state government to pay more attention to farmers by fulfilling its promises to ensure the socio-economic development of the state.