Imported from ordinary Cameroon! The distressing story of how Nigeria imports everything including ordinary BANANA

Imported from ordinary Cameroon! The story of how Nigeria imports everything including ordinary BANANA

For some time in the Federal Capital Territory, one has been coming across hawkers and their wares. One of such wares is the eye-catching and appetizing yellow banana which when seen from afar, one would think ‘oh what a wonderful Nigerian natural fruit produced here in our Country’. Yes, why would one think otherwise when most of the banana produced in most parts of this Country waste because of lack of proper storage.

Today, we went to one of the hawkers to buy banana; lo and behold, they have labels. Having established a friendly relationship with some of the hawkers, we asked them why the bananas are labelled and shockingly, they said they have labels because they were imported from Cameroun. “…They are imported from Cameroun in Cartons and are sold at N4500 per carton. They are preserved with ice...”

That was a shock and looking around, we also saw some labelled mangoes, apples, oranges etc from the same Cameroun and South Africa respectively; unbelievable common banana and mango? One could not help but remember how trailer loads of mangoes get wasted here every season only for us to turn around and import these same commodities that were inorganically produced into a Country that has abundant waste of these same things. What manner of foolishness could be higher than this? In our wisdom as a Country, we also import eggs. Meanwhile, the latest business report has it that our exportation has reduced by 38%.

In the face of dwindling oil price that has been forecasted by experts to hit $20 per barrel very soon! We still import commodities that we have in abundance of which a greater percentage of them head to the waste bins at the end of each of their seasons. What would it take Nigeria to put in place storage facilities to preserve these commodities and save the money that is being wasted on unnecessary and unreasonable items, the importation of which has continued to serve as an avenue of perpetrating corruption? How much will it take to empower some of the millions of unemployed youths to go into preservation and processing of these perishables who will in turn employ many more others thereby reducing the evil menace of un-

employment by a good percentage?

Lack of patriotism, insensitivity to the plight of the poor masses out there and lack of political will to resist inimical international influences have been the bane of those that have presided/are presiding over our affairs as a Nation even at the state levels. Otherwise, with less than N10billion invested in the preservation and processing of perishables in about five states of the federation can feed the whole of West Africa with whatever commodity so embarked on; what the leaders of this Country are thinking and dreaming of is yet to ascertained by any discerning mind. The issue of diversification of economy is one thing any secondary school student since the last thirty years can comfortably define but it is now made an issue in the 21st century when the World is thinking of relocating to space. It is even more horrible that such ridiculous and highly condemnable act of importing perishables and all manners of insignificant nonsense into this Country would and should not have arisen.

It is not late to get it right. Get some capable youths, train them if they are not trained, release some billions to them, task them and you shall get results. Yes, this shameful embarrassment and unnecessary waste of resources will not only stop but the intractable unemployment menace in the country could in one single sweep be blotted out of existence in this country.

-Linda Nneji

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