The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has warned that Nigeria’s reliance on food imports to curb rising prices could undermine domestic agricultural production, citing the collapse of rice mills and rising bad loans associated with investments in the sector.
Sanusi spoke at the Sustainable Table Series in Lagos on Thursday, 15th of October 2026 where he criticised the decision to allow food imports, including rice from Thailand, following the removal of the petrol subsidy and a surge in food prices.
He said the policy had weakened local investments, with rice mills reportedly shutting down and loans extended to businesses across the agricultural value chain turning sour.
“All the rice mills that people built were wiped out. All the loans that the banks gave people in the agriculture chain, bad loans,” he said.
While acknowledging the need to make food affordable for low-income households, the emir urged the government to provide targeted support for vulnerable citizens without exposing local farmers and agribusinesses to overwhelming competition from imported products.
He also called for increased investment in rural infrastructure, including roads, electricity and bridges, to improve farmers’ access to markets and connect communities to essential services.
Sanusi further warned that malnutrition was undermining Nigeria’s human capital development, citing figures indicating that more than 50 per cent of children under five in Kano State were malnourished, while about 40 per cent of women of childbearing age were anaemic.
He advocated nutritional support from pregnancy through early childhood, alongside improved foundational and technical education to equip young people with skills for productive employment.
On fiscal policy, the emir expressed concern over the country’s debt-servicing burden and called for greater transparency and accountability, noting that citizens would be more willing to accept economic reforms if they experienced tangible improvements in public services.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by his Special Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals, Oreoluwa Finnih-Awokoya, said the state was prioritising infrastructure, education, environmental protection and skills development.
He disclosed that Lagos’ N4.4 trillion 2026 budget allocated N2.338 trillion to capital projects, while the Lagos Education Access Fund was designed to reach more than 200,000 children within three years.
The event, themed “Leading the Sustainable Development Agenda: People, Planet and Development,” also featured a call by its convener, Kayode Olaniyan, for increased investment in energy, technology, human capital and food storage to reduce post-harvest losses and food inflation.
