Nigeria does not have money to import food to address challenges arising from the coronavirus pandemic
This was disclosed by President Muhammadu Buhari while speaking with journalists during the Eid celebrations at the state house on Sunday.
Buhari who described the impact of the virus as “frightening,” said it has affected both the developed and the developing countries.
“Nigerians can see that the COVID-19 has reduced us, both the developing and developed countries, to the same level. In fact, we have fewer casualties than they have. So, it’s a very frightening development.”
Buhari therefore asked farmers to maximise the season of rainfall to increase food production.
“I hope the rainy season would be bountiful so that we can get a lot of food. I wish the farmers will go to farms so that we can produce what we need in sufficient quantity so that we don’t have to import food.
“In any case, we don’t have any money to import food. So, we must produce what we are going to eat,” he said and appealed to Nigerians to continue to observe the health precautions issued by the federal ministry of health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“I advise Nigerians to be very careful and take the advice of the Ministry of Health. The ministers of health have been doing very well, speaking and educating the citizens on the deadly virus. So, we should be very careful,” Buhari said.