Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last election, has encouraged the Federal Government to invest extensively in agriculture in order to end the country’s persistent food crisis.
The former Anambra governor made the comment in a statement released on Monday to honor World Food Day in 2023.
Obi contended that if the Federal Government agreed to use the fertile soil in the country’s north for agriculture, the nation’s food crisis would be alleviated.
He claimed that if the land was used properly, it would yield enough for both domestic consumption and exportation.
Obi decried how non-state actors wreaking havoc in many Nigerian communities are harming food production.
His statement reads in part:
“Consequently, a vast majority of Nigerians spend the entirety of their disposable income on food, which is often hardly enough.
“The horrible spate of attacks on farmers in Nigeria by armed and terror groups has continued to hinder food production and food supplies, therefore threatening to push the country deeper into a devastating hunger crisis. Lack of adequate investment in agriculture also contributes greatly to the food crisis in Nigeria.
“I have maintained that the vast fertile lands in the North, if put into productive agricultural use, will produce enough food for domestic consumption and for exports, which can give us more revenue than we generate from oil. Government, therefore, must invest heavily in agriculture to ensure sufficient food production for Nigeria and the global world.”
