Amid economic recession, Nigeria might experience famine in 2017
An alarm over an imminent famine which could indicate a tough new year ahead for Nigeria has been raised by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Shehu in an interview he granted to a Kano-based radio station on Monday, said Nigeria’s agriculture sector faces famine despite being Africa’s largest producer of cereals and grains.
“The huge demand for our grains in the global market is creating an excellent environment for the mindless export of Nigerian grains across our borders and unless this is curtailed, Nigerian markets will be bereft of food by January next year,” he said.
He however said the presidency has been alerted to the need for drastic measures to prevent the shortage of grains in the country by January 2017.
“At present, there is a high demand for grains from Nigeria, from African countries as distant as Libya and Algeria, and from places as far away as Brazil.
“However, the Ministry of Agriculture has raised concerns about a massive rate of exportation, which could lead to a shortage of grains in Nigeria by January,” he said. .
The economic recession that has engulfed the country in the past months has already made things quite tough for citizens.
