The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, revealed that the state’s citizens spend over N4.5 billion each day on food.
The governor said this on Monday, July 4, during the opening ceremony of a two-day zonal sensitization workshop in the state with the theme: “Implementation of Food Systems Transformation Pathways in Nigeria 2022.”
The Governor reaffirmed his dedication to ensuring food security and stated that Lagos has a long history of economic development and change.
At the event organized by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and the Lagos Ministry of Economic, Planning and Budget, Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Commissioner for Economic, Planning and Budget Sam Egube, said the state has decided to take the bull by the horn in ensuring food security for the people with various agricultural and food value chains.
He said; “Although it covers only 0.4 per cent of Nigeria’s territorial land mass making it the smallest in the country.
“It accounts for over 60 per cent of industrial and commercial activities. Lagos is a coastal state and has an extremely limited arable land space and is home to about 21 million people.
“Its residents consume about N4.5 billion worth of food daily and 50 per cent of beef produced in the country running into several billion in other trading activities with markets cutting across all the local government areas in the state.”
Egube noted that it was expedient for his administration with the present situation of the country to ensure food security in the state.
He added; “Food systems are a considerable part of the national economy and have contributed significantly to many developmental issues; hence improving the food systems can influence positive changes that will address multiple challenges.”
