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A Labour Party chieftain and former National Auditor of the All Progressives Congress, George Moghalu stated that the Federal Government must think creatively and invest in agriculture to transform the nation’s economy.
In an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, Moghalu wondered at the rate of decline in Nigeria’s agricultural sector as it was the major economic resource of the nation years back before it became an oil-based economy.
He stated, “I must commend the President for the courage he has shown in some of the decisions he has taken, but the truth about it is that something has to be done. The government must think outside of the box.
“They must re-engineer the economy to the extent that it can impact on the general public. We cannot survive on palliatives. We must face the challenges as it is, and be able to address these challenges. We must invest aggressively in agriculture.”
“I ask myself and I ask the people around me. Before the advent of oil, we had a strong agriculture-based economy. You talk about the pyramid in the North, you talk about palm produce in the South-East, you talk about cocoa in the South-West. Look at the investments that were made by our leaders then using agriculture. What has happened?” the LP chieftain queried.
Speaking about the recent happenings and state of insecurity in Anambra State, the LP chieftain expressed that “the principal responsibility of any government, as provided in our constitution, as provided in our laws, is the protection of people and their property.
“That’s the primary responsibility of government. So, no matter what investment you make in that sector, it can’t be justified unless you address the issue of insecurity. Every effort you are making about economic investment is phantom.”
Still on the state of security, particularly in his native Anambra State, Moghalu stated that honest questions need to be raised and that politics should be separated from security matters.
On January 13, 2025, two abducted reverend sisters, identified as Vincentia Nwankwo and Grace Okoli, regained freedom after spending about six days with their captors.
The reverend sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ, were kidnapped along the Ufuma Road in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state, on their way back from a vocational association’s meeting in Ogboji.
Commenting on this and a few others, Moghalu said, “There is no date that passes in my state that you don’t hear one negative story. It is either somebody has been kidnapped or somebody has been killed.
“A few weeks ago, a retired archbishop of the Anglican Church was kidnapped and kept in detention for almost one month. A few days ago, two reverend sisters, principals of schools, were kidnapped.
“A few weeks ago, a lecturer in Oka was assassinated. A few weeks ago, as we speak now, a member of the House of Assembly is still in the kidnappers’ den, as we speak. And you think you have the solution?
“We need to ask ourselves honest questions, we must remove politics from security.”
