The Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Dr. Abubakar Adamu Dabban, has called for deeper collaboration between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the Council to secure the nation’s food systems and strengthen agricultural innovations.
Dr. Dabban made this appeal during a courtesy visit to the Chief of Defence Staff at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. He noted that food security remains the foundation of national security and commended the military for its role in safeguarding farmers and supporting agricultural initiatives across the country.
“A nation that cannot feed itself cannot fully secure itself. Our farmers, who are the backbone of food production, continue to face enormous challenges, especially threats to their safety. However, your presence and activities have brought relief to farmers and institutions working with them. For this, we say thank you for your service to the nation,” Dr. Dabban said.
Highlighting ARCN’s role in managing and coordinating research across 16 National Agricultural Research Institutes and 18 Federal Colleges of Agriculture, he outlined areas for potential collaboration with the Defence Headquarters. These include:
Food and agricultural defense through joint research in the detection, diagnosis, and containment of high-consequence plant and animal diseases, alongside risk modelling and surveillance.
Technology and dual-use research, particularly adapting unmanned systems and satellite imagery for precision agriculture.
Engineering and manufacturing support for the development of homegrown agricultural machinery.
Human capital development, including training, skills transfer, veteran farming programmes, and agricultural outreach initiatives.
Dr. Dabban stressed that such partnerships would enhance farmer confidence, secure uninterrupted production, boost food output, and ultimately reinforce national stability.
Responding on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General I.M. Abdullahi, Chairman of Defence Farms, congratulated Dr. Dabban and the ARCN delegation while assuring them of the military’s continued commitment to food security. He noted that the Armed Forces had been involved in agriculture for years, with the Nigerian Army establishing ranches as far back as 2017 and the Defence Headquarters launching the Defence Food and Livestock Project in 2024.
General Abdullahi explained that the military has partnered with the Ministry of Water Resources, cultivating over 1,000 hectares of farmland to boost food sustainability, while also exploring collaborations with research institutions under ARCN.
He emphasized that food supply chain disruptions remain a national concern, noting the military’s role in both providing direct agricultural interventions and securing farming communities. He also referenced efforts to mitigate farmer-herder conflicts, citing a peace template piloted in Gurara aimed at fostering coexistence between host communities and herders.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria take food security seriously. Beyond providing security for farmers, we are investing in agricultural projects to sustain the national grain reserve. We will continue to partner with ARCN to ensure the adoption of improved varieties and technologies that will benefit the Nigerian people,” he assured.
The visit, according to both parties, marks a renewed commitment to leveraging science, research, and military capacity for national food security and resilience.
