A socio-political analyst once told me that he observes that most men and women either in government or in the world of business live reactively rather than proactively. Their lives, according to the analyst, are just above a series of reactions to the circumstances they are confronted with each day rather than a proactive life based on a vision of who they are and what they really want to achieve.
Most of them, he further stressed, do clearly have no real plan or strategy to make life conform to their dreams and their goals. They crave for a life of significance. Although, they want to leave a legacy behind after they have left office, yet most do not have the ability and sometimes the motivation to see beyond their present reality. A few have developed a vision for their lives, and perhaps, this explains why they just drift along each day.
If the vision of our policy decision makers is to make food available in quality and quantity to almost 200 million Nigerians, and provide jobs for the unemployed, how do they intend to go about it? Does the solution lie in the closure of our borders or not? Will Nigeria embark on backward integration or import substitution in order to enhance food security?
The closure of our borders has generated controversies in the past few weeks. Some people, including those in government, have argued that the action is timely and that closure of our boarders would enhance food security. Since the closure of our borders, fuel consumption has reduced by 8 million litres per day as widely reported in some newspapers.
Many Nigerians are hungry due to joblessness while most internally displaced persons do not have access to food. Millions of Nigerians are in need of humanitarian assistance while many are malnourished. Unless those in the government lessen the gravity of these challenges, Nigeria cannot feed her citizens and neighbours with ease
While the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, at a briefing to mark the 2019 World Food Day in Abuja says that there is no hunger in Nigeria. He asserts that Nigeria has attained self-sufficiency and would feed its neighbours with ease. The truth is that Nigeria has not attained self-sufficiency in food production. Most of the food items produced perish and do not get to the consumers because of poor infrastructure.
Besides, many Nigerians are hungry due to joblessness while most internally displaced persons do not have access to food. Millions of Nigerians are in need of humanitarian assistance while many are malnourished. Unless those in the government lessen the gravity of these challenges, Nigeria cannot feed her citizens and neighbours with ease.
Nigerians spend 60% more for a pot of Jollof rice than 3yrs ago – SBM…experts blame border closure, foresee bleak Christmas – BusinessDay October 17, 2019.
“Nigerians are spending 60 percent more on average for a family pot of Jollof rice than they did three years ago, according to the 2019 July Jollof Index by SBM Intelligence, Nigeria’s leading geopolitical intelligence platform, and experts have blamed it on the partial closure of the borders.”
Today, we all know that Nigeria is the “poverty capital of the world”. If those in the government do not accept above report and views, the mere fact that Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world, goes to show that millions of Nigerians are hungry and unable to afford eating nutritious food three times daily. If Nigeria is unable to change its current trajectory, it is predicted that “the country will be home to 110 million people living in extreme poverty by the year 2030.” So those in authority should lessen politics, control their emotions, and listen to voices of reason in order to formulate sound policies and implementation strategies that will enhance food security.
We know that food security is beyond closure of borders. Bearing in mind all our economic challenges, is this the right time to close our borders? Nigeriens and Beninese are complaining that the giant next door with a population of 200 million has closed its boarders in a globalised world. Benin Republic with a population of about 11 million, is alleged to have been the largest importer of rice from Thailand on a global scale, thus, fuelling smuggled rice through her boarders to Nigeria. It is unbelievable that Benin Republic imports almost 2 million metric tonnes of rice in 2017, while China with more than a billion people imported about 1.2 metric tonnes in the same period. So, who consumes the bulk of rice from the Republic of Benin? It is Nigeria-the largest market in Africa!
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, had to explain why Nigeria’s boarders will remain closed. Hammed Ali, the Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service says “Nigeria’s borders will remain closed until the country and its neighbours agree on existing ECOWAS protocol on movement.” Ali explained that although the ECOWAS protocol permits free movement of people, security must be prioritised. Hameed Ali, a retired colonel and former military police officer, declares that:
“We want to protect our nation. We want to make sure our people are protected. You must be alive and well to begin to ask for your rights. Your rights come when you are well and alive. Go and ask the people of Maiduguri when Boko Haram was harassing their lives. The only question was survival. There was no question of right. This time, Nigeria must survive first before we begin to ask for our rights.”
On border closure, the Immigration boss, Mohammed Babandede, added his voice as follows:
Border closure not against ECOWAS, says immigration boss –Thisday 21 October 2019
“Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr. Mohammed Babandede, has said the partial closure of Nigeria’s border with neighbouring countries was not aimed at distorting relationships or economic activities of any member states of the Economic community of West African States (ECOWAS), but for national security and economic development of the Nigerian state. Babandede said the partial land, sea and air closure policy of the Nigerian government was not against the ECOWAS, but to ensure sanity in Nigeria especially in the areas of national security as peoples’ movements are controlled and……..it would create employment opportunities as local productions are enhanced.”
According to him, “No country in the world would allow people and products to enter into its territory through any available routes and without valid travel documents.”
“Immigration has allowed through the approval of Mr President in order to ease the tension for the people that both our citizens and non-Nigerians can enter and leave Nigeria only through a recognised immigration control post and they cannot leave without a travel document,” explained Babandede.”
So, will border closure provide in Nigeria food security in a globalised world?
(To be continued)
MA JOHNSON
