Former First Lady of Ondo State, Dr Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has faulted the Federal Government’s approach to tackling Nigeria’s food insecurity, describing a recent prayer initiative by the Ministry of Agriculture as a mockery of the country’s deepening agricultural crisis.
Reacting to a circular that invited ministry staff to a prayer session “for God’s guidance and success in supporting the government’s efforts to achieve food security,” Dr Anyanwu-Akeredolu said the move reflects a troubling disconnect from the urgent realities on the ground.
“How did we get here?” she asked in a public statement titled “Prayers Won’t Plant the Seeds: Government Must Face Nigeria’s Food Crisis with Courage, Not Crusades.”
She painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s major food-producing regions—Benue, Plateau, and Kaduna—where farmers are being attacked and displaced by armed herdsmen, with security operatives reportedly looking the other way.
“Our food baskets are now blood-soaked,” she said. “Farms have been overrun, villages destroyed, and farmers murdered. Yet, rather than roll out a rescue plan, the government is calling for prayers.”
Dr Anyanwu-Akeredolu argued that while Nigeria remains one of the most religious nations in the world, decades of fervent prayers have not translated into economic or social transformation.
“You can’t plant cassava with hallelujahs. You can’t water tomatoes with verses from the Quran,” she stated, calling instead for decisive action and policy-driven solutions.
She also criticised the role of some religious leaders in what she described as the “sabotage of progress,” accusing them of peddling hope without substance.
“Many have become businessmen in cassocks, collecting tithes and promoting miracles over hard work. This isn’t spirituality. It’s sabotage,” she remarked.
Dr Anyanwu-Akeredolu urged the government to secure farmlands, prosecute land grabbers, compensate victims of attacks, and immediately implement reforms to revive agricultural productivity. She also encouraged communities to take initiative by forming vigilante groups for their protection, warning that depending solely on government security could prove fatal.
“It’s time to stop spiritualising governance,” she said. “Nigeria needs food, not fasting. Policies, not prayers. Security, not sermons.”
She ended her statement with a scathing but sobering reminder: “Let’s feed the people before sending them to heaven.”
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