Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has renewed his call for stronger action on agriculture and food security, saying no Nigerian should go to bed hungry. Speaking at the Sahel Food Systems Changemakers Conference 2025 in Abuja, Obi said Nigeria has enough land and talent to feed itself and even export food, but lacks the right leadership focus to make it happen.
The event, hosted by Sahel Consulting under the theme “Designing for Legacy: Building Resilient and Impact-Driven Food Systems,” brought together several voices in agriculture and development, including Sahel Chairman Mezue Nwuneli, keynote speaker Ndidi Nwuneli of the ONE Campaign, and representatives from the EU Delegation, GAIN, CARE International, Heifer International, and GIZ.
Obi said it was unacceptable that Nigeria, with its vast farmland, is still counted among the world’s hungriest nations. Using Bangladesh as an example, he noted that the country, with land roughly the size of just two Nigerian states—Niger and Borno—produces nearly ten times more rice than Nigeria. He described this as a sign of misplaced priorities, not a lack of potential.
He also visited several local food exhibitors, including AACE Foods, which employs more than 160 Nigerians, as well as SEM Food and Prices, Dmore Foods, and CHC Agritech Africa. He praised their creativity and said such small and medium enterprises are key to building a stronger agricultural value chain.
Obi urged the government to shift from reliance on oil to investment in farming and local production. “Nigeria can earn more from agriculture than from oil,” he said, adding that the country must move “from consumption to production, from dependency to productivity, and from rhetoric to action.”
He ended his remarks by stressing that Nigerian youths, farmers, and entrepreneurs are ready to build the country’s future, but need an environment that supports their efforts. “A new Nigeria is possible,” he said.
