Boost Agro-Export, Increase Agriculture Commitment to Improve Economy – Ex Governor

A former Governor has said boosting agro-export and increasing commitment to agriculture will improve Nigeria’s economy, adding that insecurity can only be addressed by pulling people out of poverty. Specifically, the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi stated this during his visit to the Executive Council of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), in Lagos, on Tuesday. Obi stressed that growing the economy and getting Nigerians out of poverty would address the high level of insecurity in the country, pointing out that with vast arable lands, covering over 923,000 square kilometres, agriculture remains a huge asset and the easiest way for Nigeria to feed its citizens and have surplus for export. According to him, the time has come for the country to move from consumption to production, saying, though the status cannot be actualised without promoting export of agricultural produce. Also, Obi noted that Nigeria must improve its export base to be in strong competition with other nations, adding that foreign trades need to be increased to boost foreign reserves and halt the high exchange rate of the national currency. The former governor decried the high cost of doing business in the country, maintaining that for meaningful progress to be recorded, the economy must be driven by the private sector, and huge support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Furthermore, Obi emphasised that transiting from the public sector and encouraging privatisation would greatly help in reducing corruption in the system.