By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has laid the blames of the nation’s continuous rising inflation at the doorstep of the country’s inability to produce and export goods and services, saying that, the trend has continued to take an adverse effect on the nation’s economy.
He disclosed this while receiving representatives from the World Bank led by the organization’s Task Team Leader (TTL) for the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement, and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project in Nigeria, Manievel Emmanuel Sene, who were on a courtesy visit at the Government House, Benin
Other members of the group at the entourage of the World Bank delegation include the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Stephen Idehenre; his Permanent Secretary and staff from his Ministry, and the National Project Coordinator Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) Sanusi Abubakar, among others.
The team is in Benin City for the 3rd World Bank implementation mission.
The governor noted that the greatest problem of Nigeria is that, the country is not producing enough for importation with no import buffers.
“Nigerians are in a dire situation and one reason why we are having high food inflation is because of low production as we don’t have any foreign exchange anywhere to substitute with imports. We are not producing enough; that is the greatest problem facing Nigeria.
“Whatever we are producing is very low as a country and people now don’t have import buffers anymore. When you fly into countries around the world, from their airspace you will see farm demarcation but the same can’t be said of Nigeria”, Obaseki said.
Obaseki, while noting that the state is a hub in the country, said the reforms in the last seven and a half years are geared towards repositioning the state for economic growth and development, ensuring the influx of investors to boost the internally generated revenue.
Obaseki continued “Commercialization is important to us so that when we produce, there is a ready market and linkage of the product to those that need it. I want to know and see those real farmers producing in the state, what they are producing and the size of the market.
“We have people who have invested, but they are not making money not because there is no demand but the capacity and sincerity to go ahead. We have given people money for livestock farming but it failed. It’s not about money again but capacity and sincerity.”
The World Bank Task Team Leader said the Bank focused on three outcomes which include productivity, commercialization and resilience.