Abia PDP Gov Candidate Says No Nation Prospers With Hungry Citizens, Unveils Plan to Revive Agriculture
Boniface Okoro in Umuahia
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State for the 2027 election, Dr. Kelechi Anosike, has said no country can achieve lasting prosperity when its citizens go to bed hungry.
Anosike stated this on Thursday in Umuahia in a statement to commemorate the 2026 World Food Day, where he paid tribute to farmers in Abia and across the country.
According to him, food is not a luxury but a basic human necessity, and agriculture must be treated not merely as an economic activity but as a strategic instrument for food security, job creation, poverty reduction and wealth generation.
“Food is not a luxury; it is a basic human necessity. No society can achieve lasting prosperity when its people go to bed hungry,” he said.
The PDP candidate, who described himself as a committed welfarist, said government must go beyond rhetoric and provide practical support to farmers through access to affordable inputs, improved seedlings, mechanisation, irrigation, agricultural loans, storage facilities, processing industries and reliable markets.
Unveiling his agenda for the agricultural sector, Anosike said under his welfarist vision, agriculture would become a major driver of economic growth, rural development and youth employment in the state.
He said his administration, if elected, would ensure farmers earn better incomes, traders have access to affordable food supplies and households enjoy food security.
Anosike disclosed that his Operation Feed Abians (OFA) programme, a Back-to-Farm policy is designed to ensure that there is food everywhere and no Abian goes to bed hungry.
He explained that OFA seeks to promote agricultural production, empower farmers, encourage youths to embrace agriculture, strengthen food supply chains and make food more accessible and affordable.
“We will work towards an Abia where farming is profitable, rural communities prosper, agricultural businesses flourish, and no Abian is abandoned to hunger because of poverty,” he added.
The governorship hopeful also saluted farmers, food processors, transporters, traders and all actors in the food value chain for their role in feeding the nation, stressing that a caring government must feed its people and create prosperity from the soil.