Nigeria’s Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has prescribed a solution to the nation’s hefty $20 billion food import bill: capitalize on the extensive arable land that remains largely untapped within the country. Speaking at the Africa Methodist Council of Heads of Conference Summit and Women’s Movement Leadership Summit held in Lagos, he linked the extensive import costs to Nigeria’s shortfall in food self-sufficiency.
At the conference, where Obasanjo served as the chairman of the public lecture themed: Leadership in a Volatile, Uncertain and Ambiguous (VULCA) World, he stressed that the discovery of oil has detrimentally shifted the country’s focus from its once-thriving agricultural base to oil dependency. He emphasized the dire need to revisit agricultural ventures, considering the renewable nature of this sector as opposed to the finite lifespan of oil reserves.
Citing agriculture as a pivotal industry for reducing unemployment and averting socioeconomic unrest amongst Nigeria’s rapidly growing population, Obasanjo pointed out the looming threat if massive investments in skills, empowerment, and job creation are not actualized.
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Furthermore, Obasanjo addressed the historical plight of Africans through the eras of slavery and colonialism and lamented over attempts to deny or diminish this history in some American educational narratives. He committed to maintaining the awareness of the slave trade’s historical significance.
The summit’s keynote speaker, Dr. Ivan Abraham, highlighted Africa’s acute need for quality leadership that inclusively upholds the welfare of all, especially the most vulnerable in society. Ensuring that no African is left behind is crucial for the continent’s collective rise, he added.
The insights shared by both leaders shine a light on Africa’s need for strategic governance, particularly in Nigeria, where agriculture can play a significant role in securing economic stability and preventing the resurgence of historical subjugation.
Africa Today News, New York
