Ezekwesili explains why Buhari has ‘lost touch with Nigerians’

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, that the President had asked the CBN to stop issuing foreign exchange for food importation in order to stimulate the growth of agriculture and to ensure food security.

Some Nigerians have criticised the president’s directive including a former deputy governor of the CBN, Kingsley Moghalu, who described the directive as an economic policy that should not be imposed on the CBN by a political authority.

Moghalu also claimed that the bank has lost its independence given President Buhari’s directives to the CBN.

“Nigeria’s entire economy appears to have been sub-contracted to our central bank, including industrial and trade policy. In the process the economy has fared poorly and the Bank has lost its independence. This is sad,” Moghalu said.

Similarly, Ezekwesili believes that President Buhari is surrounded by praise singers who are not telling him the truth.

”A completely out-of-touch ‘leader’. He is cocooned away in the grandeur of Aso Rock where they serve him delicatessen and praise-sing to him: ‘ranka dede sir’, your agriculture policy is working wonderfully. All farmers in Nigeria are now billionaires & exporting to the US,” she said via Twitter.

ALSO READ: What Buhari's ban on forex for food importation means

“We all know that @NGRPresident @MBuhari has absolute contempt for data but we shall go ahead and put out here some of the Knowledge he should have had before making this latest blunder of ‘Directing’ what should be an independent @cenbank to ‘not give a cent for food import’”.

"I will share the latest information on Nigeria from FEWS NET, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, which provides information and analysis on food insecurity around the world. That our @NGRPresident thinks we have achieved Food Security says a lot about his Policy-Making.

"FEWS Net is Famine Early Warning Systems Network. It “uses an integrated approach that considers climate, agriculture production, prices, trade, nutrition, and other factors, together with an understanding of local livelihoods.” Knowledge that helps Evidence-Based Policies.

“Humanitarian actors have provided sustained food assistance delivery in 2018, reaching 2.5 million people in April 2018 across the 3 northeast states. In May, food assistance deliveries reached 15 percent fewer households, meeting targets closer to what was seen in March 2017

“With the continuing military offensive, new arrivals continue to be identified in the northeast. As of May, IOM identified 1.8 million people displaced by conflict in northeast Nigeria. Between late Nov2017 &April 2018 an estimated 100,000 new arrivals across Borno & Adamawa...

"Outside northeast, the main agric season is progressing favorably in much of the rest of the country, &harvests are expected to be average to above-average. Most households will have seasonally typical access to food,income& remain in Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity

“Various stages of cultivation activities continue throughout the country. In south &some central areas, they have begun harvesting early green maize&tubers. In other areas of central Nigeria, planting, weeding, &fertilizer application for maize, sorghum &legumes is underway.

“Planting of staples such as millet, sorghum, and maize, as well as groundnut, cowpea, and sesame cash crops, is progressing in most northern areas. Government support through the Anchor Borrowers’ Program continues to contribute to farmers’ access to improved inputs.

"”As with most years, it is also likely that there will be some crop loss due to excessive flooding along major floodplains.

"I have put out highlights of FEWS Net Report on Nigeria up to January 2019. As obvious from the Report, there are positives on Agriculture which for example include improved farmers’ access to input from the Anchor Borrowers Scheme. But, nothing of Food Security yet exists.

"What is Food Security, @NGRPresident? I will offer the universal meaning provided by the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security because that should help a Policy Maker know easily whether such is the case in Nigeria before taking a major Policy stance in Agriculture.

"Food security, as defined by the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security, means that all people, at all times, have physical, social&economic access to sufficient, safe, & nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life".

Meanwhile, the CBN has said that it would proceed with the president’s directive adding that the implementation of the forex ban on food import would be in phases.