The former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has maintained that Nigeria and Africa as a whole should have no business with hunger.
According to Obi, Africa should be the power house of food in the world.
Obi disclosed that Africa’s landmass and uncultivated arable land should be able to feed the continent and solve its hunger crisis.
The former Governor of Anambra State said this on Thursday, when he paid a courtesy visit to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Dele Momodu, in Lagos.
“My position on the hunger and poverty of Africa remains that Africa should have nothing to do with hunger, but should actually be a powerhouse for the supply of food in the world.
“Africa is the second biggest continent in land size, with over 30 million square kilometres of land, and also has the highest population of young people, with over 1 billion young people.
“Africa also has the highest uncultivated arable land of any continent, with about 60% of arable land in Africa being uncultivated,” he said.
Buttressing his stance, Obi stressed that Africa’s rice production is about 26 million tonnes, with 60 percent of its arable lands remaining uncultivated, while Bangladesh, with less than 0.5 percent of Africa’s land, produces over 55 million tonnes of rice.
“To give more examples why Africa should have nothing to do with hunger or poverty, Africa’s rice production is about 26 million tonnes, while Bangladesh, with less than 0.5% of Africa’s land (148,000 square km of land), produces over 55 million tonnes of rice. Similarly, India, with about 10% of Africa’s size, produces about 5 times more rice than Africa.
“From these scenarios, it is evident that Africa needs to have room to increase its agricultural production, and produce more food to be able to feed it’s citizens, it’s factories and for export purposes,” he stated.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate emphasized that “all Africa needs is to have a citizen-led governance that prioritises the welfare of its people, by investing in the critical areas of development.”
