As World Commemorates Food Day, Nigeria In Focus

by Fred Nwaozor

October 16 each year remains the World Food Day. It suffices to say that today, the world over is celebrating the 2021 edition of the worthwhile event. It is a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger. The focus of the day is that food is a basic and fundamental human right. Yet, in a world of billions, over 800 million people worldwide live with chronic hunger, 60% women and almost five million children under the age of five die of malnutrition-related causes every day. Due to the inevitable impact of food on mankind, the World Food Day (WFD) was established during the 20th General Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) in November 1945. During the conference, all the Member States of FAO resolved that October 16 each year should be commemorated as World Food Day. The day was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the founding date of the organization - FAO. In the history of mankind, no one has ever boasted of living a healthy life without an adequate food on his/her table. This implies that a healthy living is not unconnected with consumption of the required dietary.

Food, which remains one of the three basic needs of man on earth, can only be acquired or guaranteed via thorough participation in agricultural practices. No doubt, agriculture is an integral part of human existence considering that it is the only means that can guarantee the three paramount needs of man, which are: food, clothing and shelter. Obviously, several societies in the world depend solely on agriculture as regards Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR), and creation of employment opportunities. Such societies jealously safeguard it because they acknowledge it is the most affordable and assessable source of revenue within the reach of man. This is a clear indication that agriculture can function as a revenue source as well as means of survival. Needless to assert that sustenance of agriculture remains one of the prime desires of any rational and vision-oriented society in existence, and Imo wouldn’t be an exception.

Owing to its challenges, including lack of access to mechanized farming, undesirable topography, poor climatic condition, unavailability of land, poor soil texture, and insufficient funds, et cetera, many prospective farmers in most developing nations, like Nigeria, have over the years lost interest in agriculture, thereby endangering the socio-economic status of the affected nations. It’s not anymore news that lack of participation in either subsistence or commercial farming among the populace of a certain country invariably leads to malnutrition and tremendous decline in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. The most devastating aspect of apathy in agriculture is the one observed amongst the youth as a result of their eager and unending quest for non-existing white-collar jobs. To say the least, the ongoing lack of enthusiasm among the young ones, in the area of farming, contributed immensely to the current scarcity of food in Nigeria. History indicates that between 2011 and 2013, a total of eight hundred and forty-two (842) million individuals, or about one in every eight persons in the world, were estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger. This signifies that the said set of people was not regularly getting enough food for themselves to carry out their active life activities. It’s not anymore news that in the recent times, climate change has remained one of the greatest challenges in this part of the world. One of the biggest issues related to climate change is food security. The world’s poorest – many of whom are farmers, fishers, and hunters – are being hit hardest by higher temperatures and an increasing frequency in weather-related disasters.

At the same time, the global population is skyrocketing and is expected to reach about 9.6 billion by 2050. To meet such a heavy demand, agriculture and food systems will need to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and become more resilient, productive, and sustainable. This is the only way we can ensure the general wellbeing of ecosystems and rural settlements, as well as reduce emissions. Growing food in a sustainable way means adopting practices that produce more with less input, in the same area of land, and use natural resources wisely. It also means reducing food losses before the final product or retail stage through a number of initiatives, including better harvesting, storage, packaging, transport, infrastructure, and market mechanisms, coupled with institutional and legal frameworks. The FAO is using this period to call on countries to address food and agriculture in their climate action plans and invest meaningfully in rural development in their respective jurisdictions. So, as Nigeria joins the global community to celebrate the 2021 annual World Food Day, I urge the government to be more proactive than being reactive with a view to ensuring that the bane of the country’s agricultural institution is thoroughly addressed. It’s appalling that presently the acclaimed Africa’s giant can no longer boast of crops like cocoa, rubber and oil palms that used to be the pride of the country during the post-colonial era, owing to lack of maintenance culture and relegation of the existing healthy policies to the background occasioned by overdependence on mono-source of economy, the oil and gas sector. There is indeed a compelling need for the governments at all levels to provide the needed support for any genuine prospective farmer in their respective jurisdictions, such as soft loan with zero interest rates, arable land, enabling environment, and wholesome policies, as the case may be. The government should equally subsidize the prices of farming machinery/equipment to enable every commercial farmer in the country purchase them without much ado. In the same vein, the ongoing restriction of importation of goods and services into the country must be duly strengthened and intensified by the apt authorities such as the Customs Service, among others, toward increasing the level of demand on locally-made commodities.

There ought to also be an increased awareness among the populace in various quarters on the need to patronize indigenous commodities at all times. This can be actualized by working thoroughly on their mentality. On their part, the farmers ought to, from time to time, validate the membership of all their members, and also encourage the upcoming ones to register, to enable the government or any concerned corporate body easily assess them as well as ascertain the genuineness of anyone who claims to be a practising farmer. They should also sensitize their members on the need for specialization towards boosting production. Farmers need to concentrate on a particular crop or livestock farming, as the case might be, to enable them obtain a desirable outcome during harvest. After creating a sound foundation, any farmer can in the future consider practising mixed farming. Governments at all levels ought to as well endeavour to own and manage various mechanized farm with a view to supplementing the privately owned ones. They mustn’t leave everything for the private sector, in order to ensure adequate price regulation on the goods and services. Such measure would also intensify the ongoing diversification mantra, thereby boosting massive employment opportunities for our teeming youths.

In view of this, every agriculture ministry is expected to boast of staff that are qualified in various agricultural disciplines, rather than professionals from other areas. And, every staff must be prepared to go to the field. Above all, there’s a compelling need for Agricultural Science to be studied by every high school student in Nigeria as a core subject, and equally sit for it during their School Certificate examinations. There’s also need for all the tertiary institutions in the country to introduce Agric Science in their schools’ curricula as a general course for every first year student; there would be need for a formidable legal backing towards ensuring the effectiveness of this very measure. Inter alia, the government and non-governmental organizations, among other stakeholders, should endeavour to continually grant bursary to the undergraduates studying Agric Science or any agric-related discipline towards encouraging prospective ones. Hence, the various relevant civil society groups operating in the country are required to solicit for this on behalf of the students. All in all, viable and formidable policies need to be formulated and consequently kept alive to ensure apt implementation of the outlined measures. A policy is like a tyre that facilitates the needed wholesome movement of a vehicle. Every relevant authority or stakeholder in the country must henceforth be ready and determined to sacrifice now in a bid to enjoy forever. Think about it!

Time Management: Its Intrigues And Features

by Fred Nwaozor

The last time I checked, countless individuals cum entities across the global community, particularly in this part of the world, had derailed as regards the interpretation of the real essence of time in our everyday lives. Often times, a lot of questions had been raised in respect of time. Amazingly, on most occasions, people failed to tender the apt answer to the enquiries. Hence, I decided to come up with a very crucial one, which reads ‘how do you manage your time?’ This very one deserves an unalloyed attention because it is targeted to address several anomalies concerning time management. We cannot shy away from discussions pertaining to time management if we are really determined to excel, or distinguish ourselves, in our various field of endeavour. It would shock, or perhaps surprise, you to note that adequate time management is arguably the secret behind most successes recorded by mankind. In his words, Baltasar Gracian said “All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that.” This intends to inform us that with time, one can attain to any height in accordance with his or her aspiration. And, the time itself ‘belongs to us’, meaning literally that we can make use of it the way and manner we desire. Frankly, our inability to utilize our time properly has been the prime reason we have failed in various occasions. The last time I checked, most of us were still lagging behind when it calls for utilization of time. And, those who fall in this bracket can never move ahead, even a bit, until they fully comprehend how best to manage their time.

An associate of mine, years ago, missed a mighty contract owing to his inability to abide by the time stipulated in the invitation. He was asked via a text message to report to the firm by exactly nine O’clock in the morning. But as a result of the ‘African time’ mentality, he didn’t take the time seriously, thus he arrived at some minutes past ten. He was, however, granted the interview as planned. He reportedly performed very well after all said and done. But surprisingly, the Human Resources Manager (HRM) said to his face “Mister Ken, you are truly qualified for this job but I am afraid of one thing.” When he tried to ascertain what informed the HRM’s fear, he was rightly told that the company was not ready to engage or contract anyone that believes in African time. That was how they deprived him of the golden opportunity. William Penn opined “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” Most people spend most of, or virtually all, their time catching funs or engaging in frivolous activities. They do so, forgetting time wait for no one. Jef Mallett wisely asserted “If time flies when you are having fun, it hits the afterburners when you don’t think you are having enough.” It was the famous Nigerian musician, Mike Okiri that sang in vernacular “Time na money.” In the song, he implored people to use their time judiciously, stressing good things do not fall from heaven but are acquired by hard work. Little wonder John Kennedy counselled “We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch”. Among all, it is pertinent to acknowledge that “Lost time is never found again” as opined by Benjamin Franklin. Hence, we are charged to always take into cognizance that time is invariably of the essence when carrying out any task. This signifies that it is an inevitable tool. So, no matter how much we make effort to steer clear of time, we can never succeed; rather, we will only end up hurting ourselves. It suffices to assert that one who plays with his/her time has played with the future.

“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.” This was tendered by Maria Edgeworth, and I concur. She was trying to argue that if we properly handle our present situation, the future will certainly have nothing to fear for. And, it is important to understand that it is only adequate management of time that can enable us conquer the challenges of today. On a daily basis, we are expected to schedule our respective useful activities or consignments, and never play with any of the items in the timetable. Each of the items must be given a certain time frame, and you must consciously work not to abuse the schedule. This is a keyword to success for those who truly intend to succeed.

It would interest us to note that, even those we look up to, still don’t joke with their time. Survey shows that successful individuals are more conscious of their time than the incoming ones. This is because, out of experience, they have realized how powerful the said tool is. This is why each time you see them, their eyes are on their wrist watch. It’s, therefore, on this note I urge us to invariably bear in mind that time is the conqueror of everything under the sun, hence the need to adore it. At this point, I leave you with the words of Philip Stanhope that says “Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it… And never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” You have all it takes to be in control of your precious time. So, you shouldn’t allow the reverse to be the case. Do not let your time control you, hence you will live your entire life to regret your steps. It only take proper planning to adequately handle or manage the situation. This implies that we must always be mindful of how we plan our schedules. The time has really and obviously come for us to treat our time with absolute seriousness if truly we are determined to arrive at the desired destination as it is being scheduled. Think about it!

PROMOTING TEACHING PROFESSION AMID TEACHERS’ CELEBRATION

by Fred Nwaozor

The last time I checked, October 5 annually remained World Teacher's Day. This implies that the 2021 edition of the lofty event was celebrated yesterday, meaning literally that the teachers are still in the mood of celebration. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”. This is targeted to highlight the support teachers need to fully contribute to the recovery process as the Coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) crisis lingers after one and half years of emergence. In view of the unavoidable impact of teachers on any society, in 1994, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reached a unanimous resolution that October 5 of every year should be observed by all the UN Member States as World Teachers’ Day. The annual World Teachers’ Day, which is aimed at mobilizing support for teachers as well as ensuring that the needs of future generations would continue to be met by teachers, was first commemorated in the year 1994. According to UNESCO, World Teachers’ Day represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and global development. On its part, Education International (EI), which is the global union federation that represents education professionals worldwide, strongly solicits that World Teachers’ Day ought to be internationally recognized and celebrated around the world. No doubt, every right thinking person eagerly wishes to know what he/she does not or is yet to know. Such attribute can be referred to as man’s quest for knowledge. In the same vein, for anyone to acquire any form of knowledge, he must be taught by someone or something.

In a situation whereby the knowledge recipient is being taught by a non-human such as book, internet, or as the case may be, it is worthy to note that that material or avenue through which he/she acquired the knowledge was invented by someone or a human. In other words, teaching cannot be possible without the effort of a person. Someone who imparts knowledge on other person(s), directly or indirectly, is generally referred to as a teacher. In a concise term, a teacher is someone who teaches others better ways of doing something or a better way of living. He can also be described as someone who helps or contributes meaningfully in the uplift of someone else’s educational status or level. Hence, teaching is simply the act of impacting knowledge. On the other hand, education, in a general sense, is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to another.

Sure, anyone can be identified as a teacher, considering the relationship that exists between the persons involved. It would equally interest us to acknowledge that, there are those or group of persons who embrace teaching as a profession; this set of people could be regarded as institutional teachers. The latter are the people the World Teachers’ Day is targeted to celebrate. The institutional teachers are the ones that are often recognized as ‘teachers’ owing to the fact that they are the only persons that bring out their time, energy, resources, and what have you, to the fullness, to ensure that knowledge is fully and duly obtained by its seekers. Among all, anyone who practises teaching or who takes teaching as a profession, must had passed through a certain professional training in a higher citadel of learning, particularly an education institute. In most nations, it is disheartening to note that this set of people known as teachers, who had contributed immensely and relentlessly to the socio-economic development of the nation, are treated poorly as regards payment of salaries among other incentives.

It is even more pathetic and disgusting to acknowledge that in some quarters, these persons whom are meant to be the leading professionals are regarded as second class, if not third class citizens. If the truth must be told, then we all must agree that it is only an insane man that is yet to comprehend that teachers are the building block of any nation or society. Needless to say; they remain the rudiments or foundation on which any nation is built. As the popular saying goes "No teacher, no nation." So, when realized that same set of individuals are invariably relegated to the background, it becomes a thing of worry to anyone who truly means well for his country, or immediate society. As Nigeria joins the world to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the World Teachers’ Day, all relevant stakeholders and authorities are expected to encourage the teaching profession by ensuring that the following conditions are reached by employers of labour:  Good and enticing employment conditions including appropriate contracts, salaries, and prospects for career progression and promotion.  Effective management to include a teacher’s recruitment and deployment.  Conducive and charming work environment as well as high quality pre- and in-service training.

The international community and various governments need to stand firm and united to support teachers as well as quality learning worldwide, especially in those countries where the highest number of out-of-school children exists. In this regard, they are meant to acknowledge that an education system is only as good as its teachers. More so, the various existing teachers’ unions are equally expected to support their respective governments in the area of maintenance of sanity in our schools. By so doing, anomalies to include mediocrity, laxity, apathy, truancy, and other nonchalant attitudes found among most present days’ teachers would be totally eradicated. The above measures, if properly implemented in Nigeria, would enable every teacher in the country to proudly identify him/herself as a ‘teacher’ regardless of the circumstance, which would definitely help to uplift the country’s educational standard. We are, therefore, expected to support this remarkable crusade with utmost passion, especially at this era when the physiognomy of our education sector seems pitiable and epileptic. A teacher needs to be fully rewarded here on earth as he or she strives for excellence. Hence, the usual obnoxious belief that a teacher's reward lies in heaven must be delisted from our collective mindset. Think about it!