By Ayo Ayodele
Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s agricultural sector to ensure food security and economic growth. He made the call on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at the Sahel Food Systems Changemakers Conference 2025, organised by Sahel Consulting, with the theme “Designing for Legacy: Building Resilient and Impact-Driven Food Systems.”
Obi, who was one of the keynote participants at the conference, stressed that Nigeria’s agricultural potential remains largely untapped despite its vast arable land and human resources.
“No Nigerian should go to bed hungry,” he declared. “Nigeria, blessed with vast arable land and human capital, should not be among the hungriest countries of the world. Instead, we should be self-sufficient and exporting.”
Citing Bangladesh as an example, Obi noted that the Asian nation, with a landmass of just 148,600 square kilometres—about the size of Nigeria’s two largest states, Niger and Borno—produces nearly ten times more rice than Nigeria. He attributed this disparity not to a lack of capacity but to misplaced priorities and weak leadership focus.
The conference featured contributions from key development leaders, including Sahel Chairman Mezue Nwuneli; Ndidi Nwuneli, CEO of ONE Campaign and the keynote speaker; Inga Stefanowicz, Head of Section for Green Economy, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS; Michael Ojo, Country Director of GAIN; Dr. Hussaini Abdu, Country Director of CARE International; Lekan Tobe of Heifer International; and Oladoyin Olawaiye, Deputy Country Director of GIZ.
Obi also visited exhibition stands displaying local food innovations by AACE Foods, SEM Food and Prices, Dmore Foods, and CHC Agritech Africa. He commended their contributions to job creation and local food production, noting that AACE Foods alone employs over 160 Nigerians.
He reiterated that Nigeria can generate more revenue from agriculture than from oil if the right policies and infrastructure are put in place.
“For Nigeria to rise, we must move from consumption to production, from dependency to productivity, and from rhetoric to action,” he said. “Our farmers, entrepreneurs, and innovators are ready; the government must simply create the enabling environment.”
Obi concluded his remarks with a note of optimism, asserting that “a new Nigeria is possible.”