The Ukrainian government has donated 25,000 tons of wheat to Nigeria, a gesture aimed at alleviating the hunger crisis in the country, it was said. This donation came through the World Food Programme to support 1.3 million vulnerable Nigerians, especially in the northeast and northwest regions of the country. This gift of food, called “Grain from Ukraine”, is termed an "act of compassion" and a "humanitarian initiative" and was spearheaded by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The official handover took place in Abuja's Federal Capital Territory.
It is disheartening that Ukraine donates food to Nigeria. This needs discussion and reflection. This is attributed to banditry and leadership problems. I appreciate the kind gesture of the gift of grain and do not underestimate its significance currently for Nigeria, but this goes beyond the donation. It is about our nation’s self-sufficiency in agricultural production.
Nigeria has the potential to grow, harvest and feed itself and even the whole of Africa with some agricultural products. We are endowed with arable land, good weather and manpower to till our soil. There is hardly any agricultural product that cannot be grown here. Kano State is one of the largest producers of wheat in Nigeria. Apart from Kano, many states have sufficient land to develop our agricultural potential.
Nigeria needs to introduce mechanised farming. Subsistence farming should be a thing of the past. We must consider our massive population of 220 million people if we are to be self-sufficient in agricultural production.
Niger state and Borno states are already showing great examples by acquiring a significant number of tractors and machinery for large-scale farming. Other states of the federation can follow suit. In my opinion, the terms "act of compassion" and "humanitarian initiative" used in the context of Nigeria diminish our nation. Ukraine, which has been fighting a war for over two years, has donated wheat to Nigeria. This directly berates our rulers and government. We have descended to being fed by Ukrainians. This gesture has political undertones due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. At the handover of the grain, the Ukrainian ambassador Valerii Vasilyev mentioned the challenges faced by Ukraine due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has disrupted the supply chains providing food assistance to Nigeria. If the current war has disrupted the production of their main export - grain, how does that affect Nigeria? Has Nigeria been relying on Ukrainian grain imports irrespective of the war?
We believe the Ukrainian government are looking for support from the Nigerian government regarding its ongoing war with Russia. We cannot allow ourselves to be used to settle scores between these two warring nations. We should tread carefully when it comes to this. This statement should be backed by facts. In other words, if they are looking for moral support or otherwise what can Nigeria provide?
I am not against any nation; I am talking about my country, Nigeria. With all its agricultural potential, Nigeria should by now have solved its food crisis. We should not be depending on handouts but be in a position of strength to export various food commodities, including wheat. We should tap into our potential for food sufficiency.
Another problem that needs looking into is the problem of banditry, which is raging all over the country. This has prevented some farmers from tilling the ground and forced them to abandon their land. Our security agencies need a new, robust security architecture that works for our country. Incidents of warehouses of food being looted in Abuja’s Federal Capital Territory have been reported, as have incidents of parked trailers of food items being looted. People are overwhelmed with the challenges of soaring food prices. Out of desperation, they have resorted to bad behaviour. Nigeria has never descended into wide-scale anarchy and criminality.
All this is the result of soaring food prices, with inflation over 100%. Many food items are unaffordable for Nigerians. Nevertheless, criminal behaviour has no place here. Nigerians resort to this as a last resort so as not to die from hunger.
This is because of bad governmental policies that have triggered inflationary measures for the economy. We have suggested temporarily opening the African borders with Nigeria to flood the markets with food items so that food prices can be brought down. The government also needs to deal with the problem of the dollarisation of the Nigerian economy.
China, with a population of about 1.6 billion people, provides food security for its population. Likewise, India, about 1.5 billion people, can do so for its growing population. Nigeria has a population six or seven times smaller than theirs, but we struggle with food insecurity and cannot feed ourselves.
To bridge the food gap and achieve food security for our nation, we need to embark on an agricultural revolution. This can help guarantee enough food on the table for Nigerians. By agricultural revolution, I mean an unprecedented increase in agricultural production through improved livestock and farming techniques with the availability of farmland and our favourable climate. Through an agricultural revolution of mechanised farming using heavy machinery such as tractors, Nigeria should now be a major manufacturer of agricultural machinery and not an importer of it. The agricultural revolution will eventually lead to an industrial revolution.
It is high time Nigeria resolves its food insecurity challenges and the soaring food prices that are bringing hunger to our land. Nigeria should not be where food is donated to us on "compassionate and humanitarian grounds". We can produce food in abundance and be self-sufficient in agricultural production because our country is blessed by God with arable land and good weather. We should be able to use modern techniques to solve our food security problems. We need to be able to feed ourselves. There is no reason why we cannot feed our population and be in abundance. Nigeria needs to be productive.
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