By LUCY OGALUE/FORTUNE ABANG

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has said that persistent policy inconsistency was a major obstacle to the country’s economic and agricultural development.

Sanusi said this during a joint session of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) organized on the sidelines of the Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja.

The event is with theme: “Investing in Innovative Food Systems Solutions in Challenging Contexts.”

He said Nigeria’s biggest problem remained the lack of continuity in government policies and failure by Nigeria’s civil service to serve as an institutional memory to sustain reforms beyond political transitions.

“The biggest problem I have seen with our country is the lack of policy continuity. Every time you have an election, it is as if everybody starts on a clean slate.

“A civil service that should preserve institutional memory has either by design or default failed to do so, so every few years, we come back discussing the same issues,” he said.

Sanusi recalled how, during his tenure as CBN Governor, he initiated a study of six agricultural value chains to improve lending to the sector and promote investments in local production.

He cited the tomato value chain in Kano as an example of how well-intentioned reforms collapsed due to poor follow-through.

“We discovered 13 tomato varieties suitable for paste production, but outdated laws blocked their commercialization.

We had to fight for policy amendments, yet before the reforms could mature, the project was abandoned,” he stated.

According to him, Nigeria must focus on building strong agricultural value chains that attract private investment rather than relying solely on government funding.

“There is not enough money in government to fix every farmer’s challenge. What government can do is create confidence for private investment to thrive,” he added.

Sanusi further warned against frequent policy reversals such as the recent relaxation of food import restrictions, which he said have discouraged investors and bankrupted farmers.

“In trying to bring down food prices, we wiped out the profits of producers and created non-performing loans in banks. If we keep changing direction, we’ll never fix poverty or attract investment,” he said.

Sanusi urged the government to link agricultural policies to long-term development goals, emphasizing that policy consistency was vital for fighting poverty, ending insecurity, and building an inclusive economy.

“Fixing the value chain is the best way to deal with poverty in northern Nigeria. But we must ensure the next government does not start from stage one again,” he added.

Also speaking, Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa said that Agriculture remained Nigeria’s most reliable sector.

“In the last GDP report, oil contributed only 4.17 per cent while agriculture accounted for over 26 per cent. This tells you where our real strength lies as a nation,” he said.

He said that Nasarawa was taking practical steps to show commitment beyond policy statements.

“We identified 10,000 hectares for cultivation and started with 2,000 hectares. After the first harvest, we sold our produce directly to Olam, and that experience showed us the viability of large-scale farming.

“We have since expanded by another 1,300 hectares, clearing new land and investing in irrigation and mechanization,” he said.

The governor added that the state was leveraging existing federal storage facilities in Lafia to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food preservation.

“Most of our harvests go straight to the Lafia silos before being sold to major processors like Olam.

”We want to show that government can be a real player in the agricultural chain, not just a regulator.

”Every state in Nigeria has agricultural potential; what we need is seriousness and policy stability to unlock it,” he said

Also, Gov. Umar Radda of Katsina State reiterated the need to fix the seed system in the country.

“Nigeria cannot talk about agricultural progress without first fixing the seed system,” he said.

“What most of our farmers are planting today are grains, not real seeds. Without good seeds, you cannot improve yield, no matter how much you invest.

“In Katsina, we are working tirelessly to ensure we produce quality seeds locally so our farmers can increase productivity,” he said.

He emphasized the challenges of fragmented landholding in the North and called for smarter agricultural innovations to boost output.

“Because of our land tenure system, farmlands are scattered into small plots. The only way out is to combine improved seeds with modern technology and innovation.

"That is how you raise productivity and make farming profitable again,” he said.

Radda also echoed concerns raised by Sanusi on inconsistent agricultural policies, stressing the need for value addition.

“Right now, our producers are struggling to break even because policy inconsistency discourages investors.

"We must strengthen the entire value chain through agro-processing zones. When we add value to what we produce, we create jobs, improve farmers’ income, and boost the economy,” he added.

Also speaking, the Vice President of Olam Nigeria, Mr. Ade Adefeko, announced that the company was expanding its investments in local agricultural processing to boost Nigeria’s value chain development.

“We do not look at challenges; we look at opportunities.

“We are investing 45 million dollars to set up a soy crushing facility in Ekiti State, in addition to our existing operations in Kaduna and Nasarawa,” Adefeko said.

He said Olam’s investments reflected confidence in Nigeria’s agricultural potential and called for government policies that encourage both domestic and foreign investors to expand production. (NAN)

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