Senator Biodun Olujimi is calling on the Nigeria Government to harness the opportunities of Cashew nuts which is in abundant in the country. Sen. Olujimi expressing shock that Guinea Bissau is the only country in West Africa exporting Cashew nuts, maintained that Nigeria having it in abundant needs to leverage on it for export.
She stated this while speaking with newsmen at the sidelines of the ongoing delocalized meeting of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) Parliament Joint Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources/ Infrastructure/ Energy and Mines/ Industry and Private Sector in Bissau, Capital of Guinea Bissau.
The Ekiti born senator who is a member of the committee said Members of Parliament from Nigeria will learn from Guinea Bissau and will engage the Nigeria Government to see how same thing could be adopted in Nigeria. She said by so doing not only that employment opportunities would be created but that it will be another opportunity foreign exchange.
She said, “I’m really shocked that Guinea Bissau only export cashew nuts that is what we have in abundant.
We have not been able to harness what we have and it balls down to the fact nobody wants to go on the farm most people just want white collar jobs, there is need for us to look at ways by which we can compel our youths and women to go back to the farm and give them the implements that they need because when they go and find out that it’s too physical they all come back and are looking for white collar jobs.
If we can get them implement we can also export these things.
That is what we can do in Nigeria, on the roads you find plenty of cashew nuts in bottles, why can’t we earnest and export like they are doing in Guinea Bissau?
Going back home we will have to engage ministry of agriculture to let them know that we can engage smaller countries on they are making these things work and I believe the cashew thing will work”.
Also speaking with newsmen, another member of the joint committee, an MP from Nigeria, Hon. Oghene Emma Egoh says states in Nigeria need to go into farming and rely less on the federal government.
The lawmaker representing Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency of Lagos State at the House of Representatives opined that oil which is relied upon by Nigeria will not last forever, hence the need to diversify into Agriculture.
“look at Nigeria for instance we are mainly an oil exporting country, oil will not last forever and to provide wealth for the imperious of the country you need to go into agriculture.
Before oil came Western Region relies solely on Cocoa, the north relies solely on groundnut, while the East relies on palm oil and Midwest was relying solely on rubber.
All these were sustaining us, paying salaries, building infrastructure, building schools and everything. As soon as oil came we forget about it. So, we must go back to agriculture. It’s not everything we think about federal government, the states need to go to agriculture. We need to encourage the state to go into agriculture and states should be rewarded.
A situation where all the taxes from agriculture produce goes to the federal government is wrong, states should be rewarded as it used to be in the first republic. That way, you can build an economic base, you can banish hunger from the state. So that whatever comes from oil and others can be used for other things” he stressed.
Another member of the joint committee and Nigerian Parliamentarian, Hon. Abdullahi Balarabe Salame in his contribution frowned at border closures around ECOWAS states. He specific picked on the Nigerian authority to endeavor to allow free movement of goods between ECOWAS states.
He said,
“all the authorities concerned especially those in charge of the border, Nigerian border they should try and comply with what we agree with other states concerning the movement of goods and persons.
A lot of things are happening and to me, as I see it, it should not be that way because wherever we produce in these ECOWAS countries should be allowed to move from one country to the other. If we produce anything we would have wanted it to be moved to other countries where our farmers will be able to get market in the ECOWAS Countries. Same thing to the other ECOWAS States, they should also be allowed to move their good to Nigeria if they have market in Nigeria.
Especially the rice produced in our neighbouring countries, it should be allowed into Nigeria. I think it’s only foreign rice that that is been prohibited to import into the country but other farm products, rice, beans from our neighbouring countries, I think they should be allowed into the country.
For instance, we have rice mill in Kebbi but if you go to the boarder, you see many trucks dumped there, the rice is decaying, rain is beating it because they are not allowed into Nigeria and I think it is not supposed to be like that”.
The delocalised meeting which began on Tuesday, August 23 with the theme: “A critical look at the ECOWAS Environmental Policy and Climate Strategy, as well as a biennial review of the agricultural production, food and nutritional security in Member States” comes to a close on Saturday, August 27.
