The MATAN Food Bank Professionals Association of Nigeria (MATAN) has launched the Automated MATAN Food Security Initiative (AMESI/METS) to tackle hunger and improve food security nationwide.
The three-day event which will be ending today brought together agricultural and community stakeholders to unveil the initiative's framework aimed at transforming food access and distribution across Nigeria.
The event held at the National Institute for Sport (NIS), National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, drew farmers from all the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
MATAN's Group National President and Board of Trustees Chairman, Mr. Olakunle Johnson, said the initiative aimed at strengthening food systems from the grassroots was a spiritual project.
He said it would provide sustainable solutions to hunger by equipping communities with modern tools for food production, tracking and distribution.
He emphasised the need to address local problems stressing that most problems in this country would be solved once food is available.
He expressed optimism that increased food availability would help curb insecurity, noting that insurgency and banditry often thrive where hunger and deprivation are rampant.
"The programme will use a multipurpose digital identity card system to enhance transparency and ensure efficient food distribution nationwide," he said.
He urged the federal, state, and local governments, as well as development commissions, to support full implementation of the project.
He identified hunger as a major driver of insecurity, warning that there would be no lasting peace without guaranteed food access for citizens.
The initiative uses digital identity, community enumeration, and automated distribution to eliminate chaotic food queues. Households will receive digital food security cards linked to Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identity Number (NIN).
"MATAN plans to enumerate over 200 million Nigerians. The system will identify children, vulnerable groups, workers and households for targeted food access.
"Community kinship teams will collect data, manage food banks and operate street-level feeding machines for cooked and uncooked food.
"To ensure food availability, MATAN has partnered with large-scale farmers. Farmers will produce food while MATAN handles storage, logistics and distribution," Johnson noted.
The programme also includes land automation and community farming, allowing landlords and tenants to provide land for mechanised cultivation.
Johnson stressed the need for nationwide productivity, urging every community to return to farming to end hunger and reduce insecurity.
He expressed confidence that the project would show results within one year, improving food supply, employment and national security.
Vice President, North West Zone, Alhaji Abba Imam, said the initiative operates on a bottom-to-top model to ensure active community participation.
Imam outlined the initiative's organogram, including the National Advisory Council, Women in Agriculture, National Executive Council, Zonal and State Executive Councils and Community Executive Councils.
Dr. Goni Faruk Umar, a Board of Trustees member and Director with Greenwich Merchant Bank Nigeria, said the IMF's warning of looming food scarcity prompted MATAN to launch a grassroots farming scheme to boost national food security.
He explained that youths would be mobilised, provided with farmlands, and their produce purchased for subsidised community distribution.
Former Gombe State Deputy Governor, Sen Joshua Lidani, described the initiative as unprecedented and urged stakeholders across Nigeria's food chain to collaborate with MATAN.
Lidani, a former two-term federal lawmaker, assured that within two years, the project would significantly improve food security and the agricultural economy.
Also, Dr Olajide Bashorun, Chairman and CEO of Miss Farms Ltd stressed the need to bring farmers together to strengthen Nigeria's food security.
Bashorun, also Chairman of the Food Security and Sustainability Committee of MATAN Food Bank Foundation, said that collective action was key to building a sustainable food production system.
He said: "By bringing farmers together, we can provide them with the necessary resources and support to increase productivity, improve income and ensure a consistent supply of food for our communities."
He highlighted the social impact of the initiative, saying, "Hunger drives many societal challenges, from poor health to antisocial behaviour.
"By conquering hunger, we calm communities, improve productivity, and foster social harmony. Food is the key to unlocking human potential."
He explained that MATAN would register farmers through its portal, provide critical inputs at competitive prices, and buy produce at agreed farm-gate prices.