Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Nigeria has no justification for being poor, arguing that the country has the natural and human resources needed to produce enough for its people and generate wealth.
Obasanjo attributed part of Nigeria’s persistent economic difficulties to policies that promote imports instead of strengthening local production.
He said Nigeria has sufficient land, water, rainfall and human resources to meet its needs, particularly in agriculture, if these resources are properly harnessed.
The former president spoke during an interview on C-Suite Cafe, hosted by Ikem Okuhu.
“Give me one reason why Nigeria should be poor. Is it the land that we don’t have or the desert that we are in or the people that we don’t have or the water that we don’t have or the rain that we don’t have?” he asked.
Obasanjo recalled his time as chairman of the African Union, when he travelled to Guinea-Bissau with John Kufuor, who was then chairman of the Economic Community of West African States.
According to him, the two leaders observed that Guinea-Bissau had significant agricultural resources but still depended heavily on imported food.
He said they saw bananas and other fruits growing naturally as they approached the country, but were served imported apples and grapes when they arrived at their hotel.
“That’s part of the reason why we are poor,” Obasanjo said, stressing that African countries must make better use of their agricultural resources and reduce their dependence on imported food.
The former president also recalled Nigeria’s decision to restrict rice imports in 1979, explaining that the policy was aimed at encouraging domestic production.
He said agricultural officials inspected rice farms before the military government left office and reported that Nigeria was on track to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.
However, Obasanjo said subsequent administrations reversed the policy by lifting restrictions on rice imports.
“When our successors came, one of the first things they did was to lift importation of rice, not to encourage production of rice but to encourage importation of rice, and the farmers couldn’t sell their own rice,” he said.
Source: C-Suite Cafe
