Abdulrazaq: Naira Devaluation Made Nigeria’s Food Commodities Cheapest in W’Africa

James Emejo in Abuja

Governor of Kwara State/Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has said Naira devaluation has made Nigeria’s food commodities the cheapest in West Africa.

He said neighouring African countries have seized the opportunity to import and re-export the cheap food commodities they acquire from Nigeria to earn foreign exchange for themselves.

The NGF chairman spoke when he led three other state governors, including Governors of Ondo State, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo and Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas – on a courtesy call on the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari in his office.

AbdulRazaq said while the export of cheaper agricultural commodities to neighbouring countries was really not a bad thing, “what we need to do to mitigate that is to ramp up our production and improve our yields per hectare to make sure we feed West Africa.”

He said, “That is our intention to feed ourselves 100 per cent and export food to the world and that is the goal we must achieve. Food security is an urgency of now which must be tackled”.

He said the state governments are ready to match the federal government’s subsidy intervention to farmers to achieve the food security objectives of the government.

Earlier, Kyari, alongside the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, told the governors that the federal government seeks to vastly increase agricultural production all year round with the cardinal objective of driving down food inflation, creating employment, reducing poverty, engendering economic growth and development, as well promoting inclusivity.

He said, “We are confident that we can partner in the realization of these objectives…We are putting behind us the challenges encountered during the First Phase of the Dry Season Farming with Wheat in 15 participating States.

“After detailed and careful evaluation of some of the glitches that characterized that phase, and with collective stakeholders’ proposals, there will be additional implementation guidelines for the Second Phase commencing soon.”