This Event "Battle for the Soul of African Agrifood: Food, Seed & Land Sovereignty." took place on Nigeria's Independence Day (October 1st, 2025).

It was purposely fixed to this date as it relates to the topic of discourse -freedom from external control.

It seeks to address issues that affect Nigeria's food sovereignty in understanding of how it is connected with and determines food security.

Food production is dependent on seeds and lands, it's thus why the topic embraces aside food sovereignty, also seed and land sovereignty.

The discussion started with the President of Nigeria (His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu) Independence Day Speech, where amongst others, commitment to food security was emphasized.

This conversation touched on the reality in the nation, Nigerian homes and among Nigerians, and what is missing and advised on the path to ensure food sovereignty and security -ensuring security of lives and pursuing local manufacturing.

In tandem, matters as GMO and Nigeria's ginger problem (eroded from a major global producer and exporter allegedly by bioweapon) as with external interference were considered.

The discussion then addressed the Vice President of Nigeria's (H. E Kashim Shettima) Speech at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly that caused uproar with the immediate outcries in foreign media of Christians being persecuted and killed in Nigeria, after the second citizen of Nigeria had spoken of countries to be treated as equals at the United Nations and a two-state solution in Palestine.

Many people thought the outcries were propaganda that emanated for that speech and of Israeli and western influence to ferment tension and unrest in Nigeria to illegally have access and control to Nigeria's commodities and solid mineral resources.

This was discussed about alongside cases of geopolitics, in Congo, French Africa, and in Eastern Europe (Russia-Ukraine war in particular), with quest for resources (in making semi-conductors, micro electronics and data centre GPUs) to power and win the race of super tech , and where the West seeks energy security away from Russia with conflict but now in the US and Africa, being sabotaged by hostility towards France, growing Russia and China influence in Africa and their energy arrangement with French Africa that cuts out French and Europe -especially Uranium supply and transatlantic gas pipeline between Nigeria and Morocco that would reach Europe.

The renewed relationship of France with Nigeria was revisited and if it was not substitute for what it was cut off from French Africa and whether this meant good for Nigeria, in consideration of the colonial and recent history of France in French Africa causing a rise and spread of insecurity, terrorism and insurgency across the horn of Africa and in Nigeria, displacement crisis and with increased emigration to Europe, and also negatively impacting food system, sovereignty and security, and French's purported role in the Nigerian state dissolution efforts supporting separatist groups.

We considered how this is similar to what has been and is happening in the Middle East with a not-well-thought of foreign war on terror after the 9/11 attack at the World Trade Centre and the Israel-Iran war and the aftermath.

We concluded that it was best to not interfere with and in matters of sovereign nations and especially those that could cause global imbalance when thrown in disarray especially with their heavy population and strategic importance to the world in matters of raw materials for energy, technology and trade security.

It was thus emphasized that nations -and Nigeria a nation with particular focus for this event -ensures its sovereignty through physical , economic and cultural securities, and commit to local food production and manufacturing of high-quality value-added products, partaking in technological advancement utilizing its natural resources than be exploited by foreign actors that do not mean well for the nation.