Kebbi Food Basket Of Nigeria – Peter Obi

By Ayodele Oni

The Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate in the 2023 General Elections, Mr Peter Obi, has said that Kebbi State has the capacity to feed the entire nation.

A statement by Ahmed Idris,

Chief Press Secretary to Kebbi State Governor stated that Obi disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit on Governor Nasir Idris in Government House, Birnin Kebbi on Sunday.

Obi observed that God Almighty has blessed the State with vast land for mass agricultural production, adding that if properly harnessed, the entire nation would have no reason to be hungry.

The LP presidential candidate cited an example with Belgium which has less than 20 per cent land size of Kebbi, but could produce $20 billion worth of agricultural export annually.

He, therefore, advised the State Government to take advantage of the vast land and engage in cultivation of different crops to generate employment, eradicate poverty, tackle inflation and check the incessant insecurity bedeviling the country.

Obi added that Northern Nigeria “is blessed with abundant land, if Government actually invest in agriculture, we can no longer depend on oil. We can comfortably feed ourselves and export it out to other countries.

“By exporting to other countries, we can earn more foreign exchange, thereby force the price of US Dollar down against Naira.”

Responding, Gov. Nasir Idris appreciated Obi for the visit and assured that the State was not unmindful of the opportunities across the State.

The Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Yakubu Bala-Tafida, assured the visitor that the present administration has invested heavenly in agriculture.

He recalled that the present Government procured fertilizers worth N2.9 billion last rainy season and distributed them free to farmers across the State, which has increased productivity as well as crop yield in the State.

The Governor added: “We have also procured solar powered pumping machines and distributed them at 30 per cent price to farmers across the state with a view to ameliorating fuel cost.

Governor Idris assured that Government would leverage on the vast land opportunity to expand agricultural cultivation for enhanced productivity across the State.