Prayer sessions meant to stop untimely deaths, not for agric policies – Agric Ministry

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Saturday, clarified that the internal circular of the Human Resource Management Department on prayer sessions was to address the recent untimely and successive death of management staff of the Ministry.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Information Department, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, for the Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, dated June 14, 2025, which explained that the staff also deemed it not out of place to pray for the country.

The statement reads in part, “The Ministry’s attention is drawn to the internal circular of the Human Resource Management Department being circulated by online media, in this regard the ministry wishes to inform that the prayer session is an initiative of Human Resource Department to address the wellbeing of the staff just as the already existing monthly aerobic exercise and establishment of the gymnasium in the ministry are for physical fitness as the regular medical check -up of staff are for their health.

“The prayer was to address the apprehensiveness of staff over the recent untimely and successive death of management staff of the Ministry. The staff also deemed it not out of place to pray for the country, hence the theme of the prayer sessions ‘Divine Intervention for Protection and National Development’.

“It must be emphasized that this is NOT an official policy by the Ministry to address agriculture and food security issues in the country. But in response to the yearnings of staff who are apprehensive following the death of some of their colleagues in recent times.”

Meanwhile, the statement maintained that the Minister and Minister of State of Agriculture and Food Security have been working assiduously to ensure food security is boosted under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the past two years with positive results recorded, therefore, reports online to malign the Ministry should be discarded.

The statement concluded by saying, “The Ministry wishes to emphasize that the prayer session is an internal initiative of staff to address the concern over sudden deaths in the Ministry and not intended to replace or downplay the remarkable effort and achievement of the Ministry and other stakeholders in achieving food security in the Nation.”