Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has questioned why Nigeria continues to struggle with poverty despite having the natural resources and manpower required to feed its population and generate wealth through agriculture.
Obasanjo argued that Nigeria has allowed its agricultural potential to remain largely untapped, leaving the country overly dependent on imported food that could be produced locally.
He made the remarks during an interview on C-Suite Cafe, hosted by Ikem Okuhu.
The former president said Nigeria possesses the essential resources needed to build a productive agricultural economy, including vast land, water, rainfall and a large workforce.
“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 recalls Guinea-Bissau experience
Obasanjo illustrated his argument with an experience from his time as chairman of the African Union.
He recalled travelling to Guinea-Bissau alongside John Kufuor, who was then chairman of the Economic Community of West African States.
According to him, the two leaders were struck by the country’s agricultural abundance but later discovered that much of the food being consumed was imported.
Obasanjo said they saw bananas and other fruits growing naturally as they approached the country, only to be served imported apples and grapes at their hotel.
“That’s part of the reason why we are poor,” he said.
For the former president, the situation reflects a wider problem across Africa, where countries with considerable agricultural resources continue to spend money importing food that could be produced domestically.
He therefore urged African countries to make better use of their land and other natural resources instead of relying heavily on foreign food supplies.
How rice imports affected local farmers
Obasanjo also drew attention to Nigeria’s past experience with rice production and import restrictions.
He recalled that Nigeria restricted rice imports in 1979 in an effort to encourage domestic production and move the country towards self-sufficiency.
According to him, agricultural officials inspected rice farms before the military government left office and reported that Nigeria was making progress towards producing enough rice for its needs.
However, he said subsequent administrations reversed the policy by reopening the country to rice imports.
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“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.
Obasanjo’s comments highlight his long-standing argument that Nigeria’s economic challenges cannot be separated from the country’s failure to fully develop productive sectors such as agriculture.
Rather than depending on imports, he believes greater investment in domestic production would allow Nigeria to feed its population, create jobs and generate more wealth from its own resources.