Cocoa is one of Nigeria’s major non-oil export commodities contributing significantly to rural development, revenue earnings and overall socioeconomic development. Initially (starting from the 1870s) farmers in southwestern states such as Ondo, Ogun, Osun, and Oyo cultivated cocoa on a relatively small scale. Due in large part to visionary leadership by Obafemi Awolowo, a prominent…
These are financially tough times for Nigeria. I remember during the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, many Nigerian critics, economic experts and analysts dismissed the situation as irrelevant to the Nigerian state of affairs. After all, many Nigerians had perpetually survived under dire social and economic circumstances. Ours was a typically bad economic story, and no…
In the past two years, Nigeria has experienced a significant boost in her domestic rice production, largely due to innovative incentives. In 2016, the Country recorded an impressive 17.4 per cent increase in output of unmilled rice;-this was estimated at 7.85 million tonnes compared to 6.69 million tonnes in 2014 according to the National Bureau…
Nigeria is one of the most difficult Countries to live in, consistently scoring low on the most important life quality metrics/indices. Although socio-economic conditions are dismal in the rural areas and the so-called urban centers alike, the situation in the rural areas is much worse, typified by unimaginably brutal living conditions and overall poor life…
The unsustainability of energy generation using fossil fuels together with the impetus to ensure energy security and the parallel need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are driving a global shift towards biofuels and other so-called renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Biofuels currently account for 2.5% of transport fuels globally, with an increase…
Despite Nigeria’s widely acknowledged agricultural potential, the country is a net importer of food. Demand far outstrips local production, so that our major food staples;- cereals, whole grains, milk and dairy, roots, animal products, sugar and sugar crops, vegetable oil and pulses are sourced from different parts of the globe. Of our myriad problems, threats…
