Opinion: Removal of Fuel Subsidy Is Not The Problem of Our Food Crisis

For over twenty years now, we have been having challenges over food production in the country for some obvious reasons. It started with the Bokoharam insurgencies in the north, Fulani herdsmen clashes with farmers in the south, which later became worse with banditry and kidnapping across the nation.

As we talk , many farmers have abandoned their farms while we have lost huge investments in agriculture due to insecurity. Obviously, there will be a food crisis in the country since the demand for food items is higher than production and supplies.

I’m surprised to hear from some commentators, including the organisers of the ongoing protest, that the food crisis in Nigeria is a result of the removal of fuel subsidy and some unpopular economic policies of the Tinubu Administration. The question is, how do we harvest crops we did not plant last year or a few months ago to bring food to the table. The fact is that the little farm produce we are still seeing in the market with high costs were produced by farmers who could assess their farms due to improved security under the present administration. We can not pretend not to know these facts

Some people are calling on the government to return the fuel subsidy as if that will suddenly harvest the tomatoes, pepper, and grains that were not grown in the last few years and months. We are consuming rice and other consumable items imported from other countries, forgetting that once there is inflation in the exporting nations , the importing nations would also have to pay the cost of inflation in those countries . The fact is Nigeria is not a producing nation, and this comes with some economic prices

Yes, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure security of lives and properties of its citizens, boost food production and provide for its citizens, but can we pretend not to be aware of the real causes of hunger in our land. Who are the herdsmen, the kidnappers, and the bandits. Where are they coming from, who brought them to the country. Who are the people behind the crude oil theft and the forex gangsters. Are all these the creation of the Tinubu government via its economic policies

If Tinubu leaves power today, and fuel subsidy is returned there will still be famine in the land if banditry, kidnapping and herdsmen clashes and other forms of unpatriotic vices by the citizens are not nibed in the bud . Let’s not shy away from our collective responsibilities to end hunger and promote economic prosperity in our land

We should realise that the inflationary pressured Nigerian market forces are also due largely to the activities of economic saboteur in our midst who increase prices of commodities on an hourly basis without justifiable economic reasons . Those who are working to repair the nation dillapidating socioeconomic structures are lesser in numbers to those working tirelessly to destroy it. A country where the younger generations are not productive will definitely not make progress in nation-building.

What Nigeria needs at the moment is the revolution of the mind to end the contributory negligence of both the leaders and the citizens and not this street revolution of looters and arsonists.

Ajiroba Dapo Oke