NORTHERN NIGERIA: A Giant Ship With Confused Captains

By Abdulrasheed Ahmad Imam


I was watching Channels tv station when I heard the visionary Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos, saying that Lagos in collaboration with all the south western governors and international key players and expert are going to organize an agric expo in Lagos in few weeks to come, to role out a model and a blue print to capture the agric sector in Nigeria.

Lagos is now the 4th richest state in Africa, the gate way of the nation, and Nigeria’s economy power house, oil producing state now is planning to take over the only thing that the North boast of which is the agriculture.

The Agric expo is not the first mission to take over the agric sector from the north. Ambode started to taste the waters when Lagos and San Carlo of Mexico Signed an MOU with Kebbi state to produce LAKE-RICE.



Using the arable vast land in Kebbi as launch pad with the Rice processing mill with capacity of producing 4800 bags of rice per day sited in Lagos.

Records shows Nigerians import rice worth of N135bn every year, Characteristically, rice is the staple food for most homes in Lagos and, indeed, Nigeria.

Therefore, rice importation is rampant in the country as billions of naira is spent annually on it, and Lagos state is set to capture the market.

LAKE RICE is already a success story and now the bigger plan is about to be unveil. But kudos to Ambode and his visionary leadership.

Agriculture remained the biggest sector in Nigeria that has the capacity to create wealth, and employment to the citizenry.

From CBN record Nigeria import farm produced and agriculture products worth $2 billon dollars yearly. In the 60s and the 70s Agriculture contribute up to 55% of our economy but now it is only 19%.

We were known to be exporters of cocoa beans, gum Arabic, groundnuts, cotton, palm oil and many other agricultural commodities, but now, we import most of the agricultural commodities that we can produce because of the neglect of the sector.

Repeatedly expert have cited agriculture as a potential catalyst with prospect of creating jobs, while at the same time ensuring food security and alleviating poverty.

The North arguably has potential to take over almost the whole agric sector in Nigeria. With a vast fertile and arable land of up to 63.84 million hectres of land, favorable climate conditions, sunshine, flat land and the human resources.

But our Governors in the region are brain dead and in deep slumber. It most unfortunate with all this God given gift an average northern state cannot pay salary until grant comes from the federal government.

Our old school leaders like Ahmadu Bello Sardauna of Sokoto could have so much vision to established ABU Zaria, NNDC, ABS Stadium, Bank of the north in the 60s.

Other visionary leaders like Audu Bako of Kano Build most of the dams in Kano eg Tiga dam with area covering almost 18,000 hetres with almost 750million cubic feet of water, Kano Zoological garden, Kadawa irrigation projects but all this assets are laying waste without knowing what to do with them.

Our new breed internet age governors and leaders could not even have the brains to maintain and make use of this facilities provides by our forefathers.

We are now at the mercy of visionary states like Lagos to come over and take what belong to us and use it to their advantage.

Our leaders in the north forgets that success doesn’t come from what God has given to you, but what you are able to do with it.

They mere fortune seekers, and very selfish to invest only in contract and project that could only benefits them, their families, cronies and political associates and their praise singers and boot lickers.

Their people, and regions always comes last. 

I leave them with this quote by Napoleon Hill: “a Great achievement is usually born out of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness”...

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