The 2023 Labour Get together presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has restated that Nigeria can generate extra income from agriculture than crude oil if the nation embraces intentional management and strategic funding in agriculture.
Obi made the assertion on Thursday in Abuja whereas talking on the Sahel Meals Techniques Changemakers Convention 2025, organised by Sahel Consulting, with the theme: “Designing for Legacy: Constructing Resilient and Influence-Pushed Meals Techniques.”
The convention drew key stakeholders in improvement, agribusiness, and sustainability.
Talking on the occasion, Obi decried the contradiction of Nigeria battling starvation regardless of its huge arable land and succesful inhabitants.
In response to him, it’s unacceptable for Nigerians to go to mattress hungry when the nation has the potential not solely to feed itself but additionally to develop into a significant exporter.
“No Nigerian ought to go to mattress hungry. Nigeria, blessed with huge arable land and human capital, shouldn’t be listed among the many hungriest nations on this planet. As an alternative, we must be self-sufficient and exporting,” he stated.
He in contrast Nigeria’s output to Bangladesh, noting that the Asian nation, with land measurement just like Niger and Borno states mixed, produces practically ten instances extra rice than Nigeria.
“This actuality displays our misplaced priorities. It isn’t an absence of capability, however an absence of dedication and management focus,” he added.
Obi additionally toured exhibition stands showcasing native agribusiness improvements from corporations resembling AACE Meals, SEM Meals and Costs, Dmore Meals, and CHC Agritech Africa.
He applauded the entrepreneurs for his or her resilience, saying their work underscores the necessity to help MSMEs and strengthen the agricultural worth chain.
He maintained that with the fitting insurance policies and supportive atmosphere, agriculture might overtake oil as Nigeria’s essential income supply.
“It’s time for Nigeria to understand that we will earn extra from agriculture than from oil. For Nigeria to rise, we should transfer from consumption to production, from dependency to productiveness, and from rhetoric to motion,” Obi stated.
He concluded by expressing confidence in Nigeria’s potential, “Our farmers, entrepreneurs, and innovators are prepared.
“The federal government should merely create the enabling atmosphere for our youths and for our nation. A brand new Nigeria is feasible.”