Pat Utomi has criticized the administration of President Tinubu for neglecting his advice on addressing food inflation in Nigeria. In a social media post, Utomi expressed his frustration, describing the government's decisions as unwise. He highlighted the government's focus on items like presidential jets, the Lagos-Calabar highway, and SUVs for lawmakers, rather than tackling the pressing issue of food inflation.
Utomi's critique underscores his concern over the government's recent agricultural policies. He reminded the public of historical missteps, where poor trade policies and the shift of labor away from farming, driven by oil income, led to a mono-product economy dependent on oil. This dependency has made the country vulnerable, especially when oil revenues fluctuate, resulting in economic instability and an inability to pay for food imports, potentially leading to famine.
He lamented that months ago he had proposed actionable steps to combat food price inflation. His recommendations included deploying forest rangers to fertile areas and providing farmers with input incentives managed by NGOs instead of government officials. This, he argued, would enable farmers to grow quick-yielding crops like legumes and flood the markets with food, thereby reducing prices. Instead, the government chose to prioritize expenditures on non-essential items.
Utomi concluded by warning of the long-term structural damage these misguided priorities could inflict and called for divine intervention to save the nation.
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