MY PROPOSED FASTEST SOLUTION TO NIGERIA’S FOOD PRICE HIKES: NIGERIA SHOULD DECLARE A GREEN REVOLUTION- BY NKWETATANG NGUEKIE

In the entanglement of this disheartening dilemma of food price hikes, The Federal Government of Nigeria should declare a GREEN REVOLUTION in Nigeria and implement it in the entire country vigorously in order to bring the country’s food price hikes down to rubble. What is a Green Revolution? A Green Revolution is a drastic situation whereby a country fervently focuses on agriculture as its primary, secondary and tertiary means of subsistence within a given timeframe. 

In this situation, more than seventy percent of her expenditures are channelled to carrying out giant multi-national projects in her agricultural sector in order to attain the climax of food sufficiency, surplus and exportation. The Federal Government of Nigeria seems to overlook the population of Nigeria which is slightly more than two hundred and eighteen million. All these stomachs must feed every day.  

The foremost worry of how to step up food production is supposed to be the cardinal topic of debate in Aso Rock. On the contrary, the cardinal topic of debate there is how money should be shared among political pundits. While this debate on personal interests and personal gains is going on, hunger is harrying the intestines of the entire citizenry.      

I don’t agree with William & Paddock in their book titled Hungry Nations in which they are of the opinion that “Big ideas, big hopes – but little resources lead to hungry nations.”1 In my contrary opinion, “Abundant resources without big ideas and big hopes lead to hungry nations.” 

Nigeria is in possession of vast resources, but lacks big ideas and big hopes. This proposed Green Revolution is a typical example of a big idea and big hope which can bring about the fastest positive change in Nigeria that can last for at least a century. 

It won’t surprise me if The Federal Government of Nigeria pays deaf ears to this proposal. The governments of African countries don’t embrace positivity. They take delight in embracing negativity as if they are possessed by a malignant spirit. They like to harbour their perilous pride to death like a fly following a corpse into the grave and being buried with it.   

In the history of Africa, no country located below the Equator has ever been hungry. Ethiopia was once hungry. Libya would have been hungry during her economic embargo, but her President at that time, Muammar Gaddafi, in concordance with his book titled The Green Book, drew water from the Mediterranean Sea and irrigated very large portions of farmlands on which assorted vegetables were cultivated for local consumption, and some were even exported to France, Spain and Italy. If a desert country like Libya could fight food price hikes to that extent, then, how much more of a guinea-savannah country like Nigeria?

The Governors of the thirty-six States of Nigeria have budgets with which they can make a positive change in their respective States, but if this positive change does not involve the whole country, it would be like a mouth with few healthy teeth in the midst of many broken teeth. Such a mouth cannot chew comfortably. That is why The Federal Government of Nigeria is in the best position to declare this proposed Green Revolution and engage it with indefatigable passion. 

The Niger River cuts across Nigeria. There is Rivers State in Nigeria (Port Harcourt) and Cross River State in Nigeria (Calabar). If a country is blessed with a plenitude of rivers, but suffers from insufficient electricity supply and inadequate food production, then, for what reason should that country blame God? Those to blame are the leaders of that country who are in control of the national budget. They don’t have a vision for the wellbeing of the country. 

Nigeria is the most prayerful nation in Africa with the richest Pastors, Prophets and Apostles on the entire continent – yet she is becoming the hungriest nation in Africa. Does it mean that God is paying deaf ears to her prayers? Or those her so-called Men of God are just stage players in a theatre? They should stop casting demons from their hypnotised followers on whose offertory and tithes they feed bellyful. They should go to Aso Rock and lay their hands on those political mountebanks to change their greedy self-pursuits and pay keen attention to the hungry populace.           

Today, every country on earth has an acute problem. Presently, there are food price hikes in all African countries, but those of Nigeria are in desperate need of an immediate solution to salvage a nationwide hunger uprising. It has been said the umpteenth time that problems are opportunities. Why can Nigeria not seize this opportunity to declare a Green Revolution and carry out giant multi-purpose agricultural projects in Nigeria for the rest of Africa to emulate? 

My own country, Cameroon (with her own multitude of socio-political and economic upheavals) is very lucky to be largely a tropical country blessed with a variety of foodstuffs, and seventy percent of her population is involved in agriculture. There are more than four million Nigerian citizens in Cameroon. And they personally testify enjoying a variety of food sufficiency.                          

There have been concerns about the constant rising and falling of the naira. If a country is importing more than she is exporting, her currency will become very weak and unstable because she is selling very little in exchange for international currency. Nigeria largely exports crude oil. If the demand for crude oil in the world market drops, the naira is bound to drop. 

If you sell crude oil, you must buy food with the money and eat. If you don’t sell crude oil, you cannot eat it. You will still be hungry. But if you have food and you don’t sell it, you cannot buy food any longer. You will eat it. We must eat to live. Life is war. And in war, the victor is the survivor.   

At this most crucial moment, Nigeria should think very fast of the possibility of embarking on a Green Revolution. She should stop priding herself with “This is my turn to be President. That is your turn to be President.” She should start priding herself with the positive changes which someone brings forth during his turn or her turn as President. 

Sky-rocketing the prices of fuel to make life unbearable for the entire citizenry is not a praiseworthy reform for someone to pride themselves with. In his play titled Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare says, “Beware the Ides of March!”2 The Capitol in Julius Caesar is beckoning a myriad of African Heads of State. Karma is on their doorsteps. They are just an inch away from their tragic hamartia. 

We thank God for this divine inspiration. May the quarters to which this proposal is addressed, receive it warmheartedly and kindheartedly, and may it be taken into consideration and implemented so that the fathers, the mothers and the children of Nigeria swim in the pool of food sufficiency. Amen.             

Nkwetatang Sampson Nguekie,

Civil Society Consultant,

The Pilot Centre Bamenda, Cameroon,

WhatsApp: +237 677 26 19 86

June 21st, 2024. 

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  William & Paddock, Hungry Nations, Little, Brown & Company Limited, Canada, 1964, Page 1.  

2 Shakespeare, William, Julius Caesar, Longman Group Ltd., England, 1985, Page 11.