Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigerians have no right to complain of hunger if they refuse to go back to farming.
In an interview with Tambari Hausa TV, aired on Wednesday, Mr. Buhari said after assuming office in 2015; he blocked food importation to force Nigerians back to the farm.
“I took that decision to stop rice importation and said we should farm what we eat or die of hunger,” said Mr. Buhari.
“I said that since we have farmland and God has blessed us with rain, what reason does a Nigerian have to say he’s hungry?”
Mr. Buhari asked Nigerians to return to the farm “if they are hungry.”
He acknowledged the flood in some communities in the country but added that “we are still selling rice made in Nigeria” and “we can feed ourselves.” asking the interviewer, “is that not an achievement?”
“We have workers who left their air-conditioned offices and went into farming, and they had bounty harvests. So, we are grateful,” he claimed.
A recent report revealed that in some parts of the north- Kaduna, Katsina, and others, terrorists forced villagers to pay taxes to work on their farms.
Another report by the United Nations in 2020 disclosed that Boko Haram members slaughtered more than 100 farmers as the government helped less to restore peace, leading to fear of returning to the farm.
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