WATCH: Frustrated minister claims rich Nigerians order pizza from London
The minister admits that cutting down on imports in the country will not be an easy task, claiming it will earn them enemies.
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Nigeria’s agriculture minister, Audu Ogbeh, has been trending around the world for criticising his country for importing everything, leaving many unemployed as a result.
In a Senate agricultural meeting on Tuesday, the minister said Nigeria relied too much on imports and it was time for the country to cut down on it.
He said: “Every time to bring in a shipload of rice, you also bring in a shipload of unemployment because you’re transferring your wealth to another economy. We became a nation of importing, toothpicks each year cost $18 million, tomatoes $400 million. The farmers are losing money because the processors don’t have enough funds to settle factories.”
The minister made waves on social media after claiming that the import issue in Nigeria was so big that rich people in the country order pizza from London.
“Do you know, sir, that there are Nigerians who use their cellphones to import pizza from London? Buy in London and bring it in British Airways in the morning to pick up at the airport. It is a very annoying situation and we have to move a lot faster in cutting down some of these things.”
He, however, acknowledged that cutting down on imports would not be an easy task, claiming it would earn them enemies.
“We might reach a point where we won’t have to import tomato paste next year, but when you do, you make enemies, even the rice we’re trying to reduce, we have enemies, people who can kill if they have a chance.”
Watch the video below:
Minister for Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, says there are Nigerians who use their phones to order pizza from London. According to him, they order for pizza at night and British Airways flies it in in the morning!! pic.twitter.com/gxkifGUCqL
— Boobs (@flliqqa) March 27, 2019
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