Agriculture: The New Oil for Akwa Ibom's Sustainable Future

Governor Umo Bassey Eno

‎By Lucy Daniel

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‎For decades, crude oil sustained Nigeria's economy, funding infrastructure and government programmes. But fluctuating global oil prices and the reality that petroleum is a finite resource have underscored an important truth: the future belongs to economies that can feed themselves. Agriculture is no longer just a rural occupation; it is fast becoming the new oil of the 21st century.

‎This vision is reflected in the Agricultural Revolution pillar of Governor Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, PhD's ARISE Agenda. His administration's distribution of agro-inputs to schools and support for farmers is more than a government programme. It is a strategic investment in food security, economic diversification, job creation and shared prosperity.

‎The distribution of cassava cuttings, hybrid maize seeds, improved coconut seedlings, pepper, pumpkin, tomato and okra seeds, alongside fertilizers, to 164 public secondary schools and 30 primary schools, as well as 80,000 bundles of cassava cuttings, maize seeds and pumpkin seedlings to public primary schools, demonstrates a government investing in the next generation of farmers. The empowerment of rice farmers in Ibiono Ibom with automated power tillers further underscores a commitment to mechanised farming and higher productivity.

‎These initiatives are laying the foundation for agriculture to become a major pillar of Akwa Ibom's economy.

‎Across the world, successful economies have shown that agriculture is the bedrock of sustainable development. The Netherlands is a global agricultural powerhouse through innovation. Israel transformed arid land into productive farms. Brazil built a thriving agribusiness sector through mechanisation, while Malaysia diversified its economy through sustained investment in oil palm and rubber.

‎Akwa Ibom is following the same path.

‎Introducing agriculture into schools is one of the administration's most visionary decisions. Beyond distributing seedlings, it is cultivating a generation that sees farming as a profitable enterprise. School farms can nurture future agribusiness owners, food processors, exporters and agricultural scientists.

‎The economic benefits are immense.

‎Cassava supplies industries producing garri, flour, starch and ethanol. Maize supports poultry and food processing. Coconut provides raw materials for edible oil, cosmetics and beverages. Vegetables such as tomato, pepper, pumpkin and okra improve household nutrition while generating income for farming families.

‎Agriculture also supports transportation, processing, packaging, marketing, manufacturing and export. Every successful harvest creates opportunities across the economy.

‎For families, the impact is immediate. Increased food production lowers household food costs, improves nutrition and strengthens family incomes. Parents can spend more on education and healthcare, while children gain practical agricultural knowledge that prepares them for the future.

‎The mechanisation of rice farming in Ibiono Ibom is equally significant. Modern equipment increases yields, reduces production costs and enables farmers to cultivate larger areas, strengthening food security and rural livelihoods.

‎This is why agriculture should rightly be regarded as the new oil.

‎Unlike petroleum, agriculture benefits every community. Fertile land exists across Akwa Ibom, creating opportunities in every local government. While oil prices fluctuate with global markets, agriculture creates wealth every planting season and generates employment on a scale few sectors can match.

‎At a time of climate change, inflation and global food uncertainty, investing in agriculture is both an economic necessity and a security imperative.

‎The Agricultural Revolution under the ARISE Agenda is therefore about far more than growing crops. It is about creating jobs, reducing poverty, strengthening families, supporting industries and building a resilient economy.

‎The seedlings distributed today will become tomorrow's plantations. The pupils learning agriculture today could become tomorrow's employers of labour. The farmers empowered today will help secure the state's food future.

‎History also shows that agricultural transformation requires consistency. No nation built a thriving agricultural economy within a single political term. Lasting success comes through sustained investment and policy continuity.

‎For that reason, there is a strong case for allowing these reforms to mature. A second term would consolidate the gains of the ARISE Agenda, deepen mechanised farming, expand agro-processing industries and position Akwa Ibom as one of Nigeria's leading agricultural and food-processing hubs.

‎As citizens reflect on the state's future, they should judge leadership by measurable investments that improve lives. Governor Umo Eno's agricultural initiatives are already creating pathways to food security, rural development, youth empowerment and economic resilience.

‎If sustained, agriculture can truly become the new oil of Akwa Ibom, not because it replaces petroleum overnight, but because it provides something even more enduring: renewable wealth that feeds the people, empowers families, creates industries and secures prosperity for generations yet unborn.

‎That is the promise of the ARISE Agenda, and it is a vision worthy of continuity.

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‎Daniel, SA to the Governor on Media 

‎Writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State 

‎providencemaga@yahoo.com