Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has blamed political leaders for Nigeria’s failure to attain self-sufficiency in food production. Speaking at a lecture organized to mark his 86th birthday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo expressed concern that Nigeria and Africa had not taken advantage of advancements in science and technology to develop the agricultural sector.
He urged Nigerians to blame their leaders for lacking the political will to turn Nigeria into the food basket of Africa. Obasanjo argued that until Africa achieved reasonable self-sufficiency in food and nutrition security, it was not doing the right thing for itself.
According to Obasanjo, farmers are ready to produce food if they are given all the incentives and encouragement by politicians. He highlighted that science and technology had given Africa all that it needed for food and nutrition security, and what was left was political will and action.
Obasanjo also pointed out that Nigeria and other African countries depend on Russia and Ukraine for wheat, a situation that was unsustainable, and there were carbohydrate foodstuffs that could be produced in Africa.
Obasanjo urged Nigerians to pray and understand all the factors that make Nigeria and Africa not the giant but the dwarf of Africa and how they can get out of it.