By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

The Provost of Samaru College of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Usman Ibrahim, has said Nigeria can only achieve true food security when farmers and key players across the agricultural value chain fully embrace modern technologies in crop production, management, and distribution.

He noted that Nigeria’s rapidly growing population requires a revolutionary farming approach capable of meeting both consumption demands and industrial needs.

Prof. Ibrahim made the remarks at the Brown Demo Field event in Zaria, where crops produced from genetically improved TELA maize seedlings—developed in collaboration with foundation seed company ECOBasic—were harvested.

The demonstration, supervised by agricultural experts and academics from ABU, brought together over 100 farmers from surrounding agrarian communities. The TELA maize, planted 70 days earlier during the tail end of the 2025 wet season, showcased remarkable drought tolerance, he said.

Calling for federal investment in agricultural education, Ibrahim urged the establishment of more colleges of agriculture to train middle-level manpower equipped with cutting-edge skills for modern food production.

“There are no two ways about achieving food security,” he said. “We must key into innovative ideas and modern agricultural practices that can propel us toward the food sufficiency we aspire to.”

He explained that the demonstrated hybrid maize variety offers high yields, drought tolerance, and pest resistance—traits he said could significantly boost farmers’ profitability.

“Bumper harvests are every farmer’s dream. With the impressive results we have seen from TELA maize today, it is time our farming communities embraced hybrid seedlings to transform their output and income,” he added.

Assuring continued research efforts, he said the college, with over a century of experience in agricultural training, will keep exploring new frontiers to strengthen food production.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of ECOBasic Seed, Brighton Karume—represented by the company’s Commercial Manager, Moses Atewogboye—also stressed the need for Nigerian farmers to adopt hybrid seedlings, as practiced in top food-producing nations.

He said the field day was organised to showcase the performance and value of the TELA maize variety, urging farmers to adopt technology and innovation as essential tools for increased productivity.

“Nigeria, as the giant of Africa, should lead the pace in agricultural innovation,” he said.