By AbdulRazaq Hamzat, Executive Director of the Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro), has warned the federal government about the dangers of relying on subsidised food imports.
Speaking in an interview with Pulsewireng in Ilorin, Kwara State, Hamzat said the policy is weakening Nigeria’s agricultural sector, discouraging local investment, and increasing the risk of long-term food insecurity.
While the government has praised the recent drop in food prices, Hamzat argued that the trend is deceptive. According to him, the cheaper prices are a result of heavily subsidised imports from foreign countries, not improved local production.
Hamzat stressed that this approach is damaging to Nigerian farmers, who are unable to compete with artificially low prices, ultimately destabilising the country’s agricultural economy.
He urged the government to focus on supporting local farmers, investing in modern farming technologies, and creating policies that promote food production within Nigeria rather than depending on imports.
According to Hamzat, Nigeria’s path to true food security lies in empowering its own farmers and ensuring the agricultural sector thrives, rather than depending on temporary price relief from imported products.
