Tinubu’s food importation policy could destroy Nigeria’s agriculture – Akinwunmi Adesina
“Nigeria’s recently announced policy to open its borders for massive food imports, just to tackle short-term food price hikes, is depressing.”
The President of the African Development Bank Group Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (www.AfDB.org) has said the decision by Nigeria’s government to allow massive food importation risks destroying the country’s agriculture.
This follows the announcement by Nigeria’s Minister for Agriculture Abubakar Kyari on 10 July that the federal government would suspend duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas through the country’s land and sea borders, for 150 days.
“Nigeria’s recently announced policy to open its borders for massive food imports, just to tackle short-term food price hikes, is depressing,” Mr Adesina told African Primates of the Anglican Church at a Retreat in Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday.
He warned that the policy could undermine all the hard work and private investments that have gone into Nigeria’s agriculture sector.
“Nigeria cannot rely on the importation of food to stabilise prices. Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilise food prices while creating jobs and reducing foreign exchange spending that will further help stabilise the Naira,” said the African Development Bank president.

“Nigeria cannot import its way out of food insecurity,” he said, “Nigeria must not be turned into a food import-dependent nation.”
Speaking on the theme ‘Food security and financial sustainability in Africa: The role of the Church,’ Mr Adesina said Nigeria “must feed itself with pride,” warning, “a nation that depends on others to feed itself, is independent only in name.”