The national protest with the hashtag #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria, was put together to start on August 1 and end on August 10, as the organisers are calling on the Federal Government to put an end to the alleged economic hardship being faced by Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu, in his nationwide address, spoke on a number of issues to calm the nerves of the protesters. In this piece, FarmingFarmersFarms examined the positions of some stakeholders in the agriculture value chain on what Mr. President’s address meant to them.
According to Tinubu, the government had ordered the importation of mechanised farming equipment, as part of his administration’s efforts to boost food production and curb the prevailing hardship in the country. He said the move was part of the government’s incentives to farmers to increase food production at affordable prices. The President added that the Federal Government was planning to cultivate more than 10 million hectares of land to grow what Nigerians eat. “We are providing incentives to farmers to increase food production at affordable prices. I have directed that tariffs and other import duties should be removed on rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, drugs, and other pharmaceutical and medical supplies for the next 6 months in the first instance, to help drive down the prices.
“I have been meeting with our governors and key ministers to accelerate food production. We have distributed fertilizers. Our target is to cultivate more than 10 million hectares of land to grow what we eat. The Federal Government will provide all necessary incentives for this initiative, whilst the states provide the land, which will put millions of our people to work and further increase food production. In the past few months, we have also ordered mechanised farming equipment such as tractors and planters, worth billions of Naira from the United States, Belarus, and Brazil”, the President has revealed.
Reacting, the Southwest Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Dr. Femi Oke has described the President’s actions at ensuring food security as the right step in the right direction. “The nationwide address of President Bola Tinubu and his promises to boost food security is a good step in the right direction. We are first grateful for the relief of taxes on importation of some essential food commodities, especially rice. We believe (that) if there are no import taxes on the these commodities, definitely their prices will surely come down. There is no doubt about this. The ongoing hunger protest is mainly as a result of the food crisis. The investment in mechanised farming equipment to boost food security, as disclosed in the President’s speech, is the way forward. Not many of our local farmers can afford mechanised farming. So, if the government now decides to import these farm machinery to give to the farmers, either at subsidised rate or in partnership, definitely this will boost food production. This, in turn, will reduce the food inflation and crisis in the country. This President’s promises on agriculture is a very good development”, Oke said.
On her part, the Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Chinyere Almona, in a statement on behalf of the chamber, disclosed that LCCI had followed the mixed reactions to the nationwide address by the President, saying beyond the highlights of the achievements so far by this government, a more urgent action should be taken to ensure that the citizens start to see and feel the policies and programmes in action without any further delays. The Director-General stated that critical variables should be looked into such as the cost of doing business, the cost of living, food security, and youth unemployment. “We call on the government to focus and report progress on these variables that are seen to have links to many other issues in the economy, like poverty, high inflation, increased hunger, and heightened crimes”, the chamber said.
The leading advocacy group urged “the government to pay stern attention to the implementation and coordination of highlighted programmes, as this has always posed a challenge. We also need to be more time-sensitive and have clear timelines for implementing policies and programmes. We see a more collaborative approach to policy planning and implementation, as being crucial from now on”, LCCI added further. For the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), President Tinubu should address what it called ‘economic contradictions in governance’ that are strangulating the organised private sector, and stopping it from fulfilling its role as the ‘engine of development’.
The Director-General of NECA, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, observed that the role of some regulatory agencies were limiting efforts of the government in growing the economy. Oyerinde said, “While the nation grapples with high unemployment rate and low business capacity utilisation, some regulatory agencies are still creating bottlenecks for business growth. It is obvious to all that the Taiwo Oyedele-led Presidential Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy Reforms have done creditably well in engaging critical stakeholders and building consensus on tax reforms; some agencies continue to introduce new levies and other forms of taxes, negating one of the main reasons for the establishment of the presidential committee.”
The Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, Mojeed Iyiola, has called for adequate implementation of policies and interventions. “If the promises in the President’s address to the nation can be implemented, it is going to go a long way in helping the situation at hand. The promises in the President’s speech, as regards agriculture mechanisation, should be followed with immediate action and implementation. These mechanised equipment and inputs for local farmers should go to the right hands. They should not be hoarded or resold. President Tinubu should be commended on his agriculture policies so far. Most of the Federal Government’s palliatives have been falling on the wrong hands. If these promises are implemented and they get to the grassroots, it will be beneficial to the agriculture sector and help attain food security”, Iyiola said.
