{"id":892986,"date":"2026-03-20T02:23:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T07:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/20\/agriculture-can-outperform-oil-peter-obi-highlights-mai-shayi-farm-as-model-for-food-security-in-nigeria\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T02:23:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T07:23:53","slug":"agriculture-can-outperform-oil-peter-obi-highlights-mai-shayi-farm-as-model-for-food-security-in-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/20\/agriculture-can-outperform-oil-peter-obi-highlights-mai-shayi-farm-as-model-for-food-security-in-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Agriculture can outperform oil \u2014 Peter Obi highlights Mai Shayi Farm as model for food security in Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, <\/a>has renewed his call for urgent reforms in Nigeria\u2019s agricultural sector, saying the country has the capacity to defeat food insecurity and earn more from farming than from oil if the right policies are implemented.<\/p>\n

In a post shared on his X handle on Tuesday, Obi said Nigeria possesses the natural and human resources needed to become a major agricultural exporter but has failed to maximize its potential due to weak policies and poor execution.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have continued to reiterate that Nigeria can conquer food insecurity and even go further to earn as much\u2014if not more\u2014from agriculture than from oil,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur country has all that can make that happen, the land, the climate, and the human capacity to feed itself and become a major agricultural exporter. What has been lacking is not potential, but properly formulated policies and disciplined implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing from his past experiences, Obi recalled his visit to Songhai Farms in Cotonou, where he observed the impact of structured and integrated farming.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter visiting the Songhai Farms in Cotonou and seeing firsthand what deliberate planning and integrated farming can achieve, I supported the adaptation of that model at Masdevan Farm in Urum,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

According to him, the farm has grown into a successful centre for food production and youth empowerment.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, the farm is doing remarkably well, not only producing food but also training young farmers and demonstrating how agriculture can become a viable engine of growth,\u201d Obi stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the right investment and policy consistency, agriculture can stimulate industries, create jobs, and transform our economy. Nigeria must act with urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former Anambra State governor also cited the Mai Shayi Coffee Farm on the Jos Plateau as another example of how focused agricultural investment can drive economic development.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mai Shayi Coffee Farm on the Jos Plateau stands as another powerful reminder of what is possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuilt on a 30-hectare Arabica plantation with integrated processing facilities, it shows how agriculture can move beyond subsistence into value-chain production\u2014creating employment, generating export earnings, reducing poverty, and driving rural development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obi noted that with proper government support, such initiatives could be replicated nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the right enabling environment, such models can be replicated across the country,\u201d he added. \u201cI sincerely commend and thank the initiators of the Mai Shayi project for demonstrating what focused agricultural investment can achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded by stressing that Nigeria\u2019s transformation depends largely on political will and policy consistency.<\/p>\n

\u201cA new Nigeria is possible with the right policies\u2014and the will to implement them,\u201d Obi wrote.<\/p>\n

His comments come amid growing concerns over rising food prices, insecurity affecting farming communities, and the country\u2019s heavy dependence on oil revenue, issues that experts say make agricultural reform more urgent than ever.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

By CALLISTUS OFFOR, Abuja
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Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has renewed his call for urgent reforms in Nigeria\u2019s agricultural sector, saying the country has the capacity to defeat food insecurity and earn more from farming than from oil if the right policies are implemented. In a post shared on his X handle on Tuesday, Obi said Nigeria possesses the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":892987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32977,40815],"tags":[43239,21915],"class_list":{"0":"post-892986","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-agriculture","8":"category-outperform","9":"tag-agriculture","10":"tag-outperform"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}