Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, is calling for a major shift in Nigeria’s approach to food. He believes the country shouldn’t be spending so much money to import food when it has plenty of fertile land to grow its own.
Why It Matters
Governor Otti isn’t happy about a recent stat: Nigeria spent a whopping 7.8 trillion Naira (that’s over 17 billion US dollars!) on imported food in the last six years. Think about it: that’s more than 10% of Nigeria’s entire national budget going towards food we could be growing ourselves!
Nigeria has a lot of land that’s perfect for farming. Governor Otti says it’s a shame that such a rich country with so many people (over 200 million!) has to rely on other countries to feed itself.
Governor Otti believes that if Nigerians focus more on farming, it would create jobs and make the economy stronger. He also thinks it would lead to a more stable society overall.
What They Are Saying
He said, “It is a shame that a country of over 200 hundred million people with so much arable land, reputed as the largest producers and cultivators of food items spend so much money importing food.
“In 2021, we spent about N1.9 trillion, 2022 & 2023 we spent about N2 trillion each year importing food, so to put it in context, our budget for 2024 is somewhere around N28 trillion; 27.5 trillion and then upgraded to about N28 trillion.
“Don’t also forget that these kind of numbers were not seen between 2015 and 2019. The budget numbers were hovering around 7-10 trillion. So when you spend over 11% of your total buffet importing food, it is a big shame, particularly when you are blessed with land.”
So, what’s the plan? Governor Otti is putting his money where his mouth is. Abia State is sponsoring a special training program to teach people the latest farming techniques. The goal is to get more Nigerians growing the food the country needs.
Bottom Line
Nigeria has the potential to be self-sufficient in food production. By investing in agriculture and training our people, we can become less reliant on imports, create jobs, and ensure everyone has access to affordable food.
