Och’Idoma Flags Off MATAN Food Bank Secretariat, 21-Pillar Initiative In Benue

The Och’Idoma and Paramount Ruler of Idoma Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Agabaidu John Elaigwu Odogbo, on Tuesday flagged off the office of the MATAN Food Bank Professional Association of Nigeria and its 21-Pillar Stakeholders’ initiative in Benue State. adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The ceremony, which took place at the Bank of Agriculture, Makurdi on Tuesday, 3rd November 2026, was attended by government functionaries, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders.

Speaking as both Och’Idoma and Patron of the Association, the monarch said food security must become a collective national priority, stressing that no society can attain sustainable prosperity when a significant portion of its population struggles to access adequate and nutritious food.

“Food is central to human existence, dignity, peace and national development,” he said, noting that Benue as the Food Basket of the Nation has the agricultural potential to transform its economy, but that potential must be translated into measurable productivity, income, employment and food availability.

The royal father charged the Association to move beyond meetings and ceremonial engagements to visible impact in the lives of people, measured by the number of families empowered, households supported, youths encouraged and jobs created. He also assured the leadership of his goodwill and support for initiatives that advance food security and sustainable agriculture.

He commended the Benue Chapter for adopting the 21-Pillar framework, describing it as a symbol of stability, structure and sustainability, but cautioned that the pillars must be developed into actionable programmes addressing real needs, including smallholder farmers’ empowerment, youth participation in agribusiness, women empowerment, community food banks, food processing and storage, agricultural financing, market access and skills acquisition.

The monarch further stressed the role of traditional institutions as indispensable partners in grassroots development and called for practical partnerships to encourage youths to embrace agriculture as a profitable venture.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Internal Security, Chief Dr. Joseph Har, said without physical security, food security cannot be guaranteed. He noted that security challenges in the state have improved compared to the past and assured that government is determined to make the situation better.

In an interview with newsmen, the National Vice President, Contact, Mobilisation and Organisation of MATAN Food Bank Professional Association of Nigeria, Comr. Ikpe David Idah, said the event marked the official declaration of the Association’s office complex in Makurdi by its Patron, the Och’Idoma, and the kick-off of the 21 pillars in Benue as one of the pilot states in the North Central.

He listed some of the pillars to include MATAN Food Bank Foundation, MATAN Mobility, Community Food and Nutrition Resilience Initiative, Street Feeding, Pan-African and inter-regional commodity exchange, among others contained in the organisation’s profile.

According to him, the primary aim of the Association is to end hunger and ensure not just food sufficiency, but nutrition in quality, quantity and proportion, with laboratory testing and medical certification of food before distribution to the public.