14/06/2025
Holy Water Cannot Grow Maize: Why Nigeria Must Choose Innovation Over Intercession
By: Engr. Dr. John Audu
In a nation where faith is deeply woven into the cultural fabric, it’s not surprising that Nigerians often turn to divine intervention in the face of crisis. But what is increasingly concerning is the growing pattern of treating every national problem as a spiritual battle, particularly when these problems demand science, planning, and policy.
A recent example is the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security's call for a National Day of Prayer in response to the escalating food insecurity crisis. While the intent may be noble, the implications are troubling. Nigeria is facing a technical, economic, and systemic problem and our primary response is a religious one.
Let us be clear: prayer is not the problem. It is a pillar of strength, a comfort in uncertainty, and an expression of hope. But hope without a plan is futility. Prayer without policy is postponement. Holy water cannot grow maize.
Maize needs sunlight, water, improved seed varieties, smart irrigation, access to extension services, and reliable distribution channels. It needs agronomic science, engineering design, AI-driven precision farming, and resilient value chains. And none of these come from fasting or vigil nights.
In the developed world, national crises are met with strategic mobilization of knowledge systems. When faced with climate threats, energy instability, or food shortages, countries like Germany, the Netherlands, or the United States do not call for prayer crusades. They convene national research teams, mobilize universities, fund research grants, and unleash innovation ecosystems. The results speak for themselves.
Consider the Netherlands a country with less land than many Nigerian states, yet it is the second-largest exporter of food in the world. Not by praying, but by investing in agricultural technology, leveraging research institutions, and empowering partnerships between government and private sector.
Now consider Nigeria: we have over 200 universities, dozens of agricultural research institutes, thousands of trained engineers and scientists, yet these remain underutilized in times of national emergency. How many university-based research centres were invited to contribute ideas on solving the current food crisis? How many state and federal governments have funded innovation hubs in agriculture over the past year?
Imagine if, alongside the National Day of Prayer, the Ministry of Agriculture had launched a National Agricultural Innovation Call, inviting universities, startups, rural cooperatives, and NGOs to submit implementable ideas. Imagine the possibilities of AI-based weather prediction, solar-powered irrigation, robotic sorting of produce, or digitized post-harvest systems. These ideas already exist in Nigeria, what is missing is institutional belief in them.
We must ask ourselves: Are we turning to God as a solution, or as an excuse?
Nigeria is not without solutions. It is without synergy. We must stop outsourcing responsibility to heaven when heaven has already given us the intellect, resources, and institutions needed to act.
To move forward:
1. The Ministry of Agriculture must prioritize research-based policymaking.
2. Universities should be empowered and funded as national think tanks.
3. Innovation hubs must be integrated into national problem-solving frameworks.
And every major national challenge should be treated as a call to science, systems, and strategy, not just supplication.
Let us continue to pray, but let us also plan, act, and innovate. Because no amount of holy water will grow a crop that wasn’t planted, irrigated, or nurtured by knowledge.
Nigeria’s future lies not just in the divine, but in the decisions we make, the systems we build, and the solutions we are willing to implement.
About the Author:
Engr. Dr. John Audu is an expert in Artificial Intelligence and Agricultural Product Processing Engineering. He teaches at the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, College of Engineering, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, and speaks globally on AI-driven innovation for food security and rural development.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +234 08135296652
