Mr. Obi stated this in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ibrahim Umar, in Abuja on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the former presidential candidate made the remarks in the backdrop of the latest report on food security released by the World Bank.
Commenting on the report, Obi likened Nigeria's worsening food security crisis to war-torn countries like Yemen, where the number of people facing acute food insecurity and widespread hunger has increased significantly. said.
“Sadly, I think these reports only give a vague depiction of the seriousness of the real food crisis and hunger.
“I have long argued that moving the country from consumption to production is the surest way to combat food insecurity and rescue the country from the current food crisis.
“I have similarly stated unequivocally that our nation’s greatest asset is the vast uncultivated lands of our north combined with our vast demographics.
“Therefore, we need to be intentional about investing in agriculture,” he said.
The Labor Party leader expressed regret that a country like Niger, which is twice the size of the Netherlands, cannot feed itself and its people. He stressed that Nigeria also needs to prioritize investments in agriculture, noting that the Netherlands exports $100 billion worth of agricultural products annually.
He said this could be achieved by combating the insecurity that was keeping farmers away from their farms and by introducing mechanized and modern farming methods.
“If we do this, we will be able to fight hunger and achieve food security for our people,” he said.
Obi says a country with high productivity, no hunger, and an abundant supply of food is possible.
