COVID-19: We don’t have money to import food, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria no longer has money to import food owing to the impact of COVID-19 on the nation’s economy.

While speaking with journalists during the Eid celebrations at the state house on Sunday, the president described the impact of the virus as “frightening”.

He said the pandemic has affected both the developed and the developing countries.

“Nigerians can see that the COVID-19 has reduced us, both the developing and developed countries, to the same level,” he said.

“In fact, we have fewer casualties than they have. So, it’s a very frightening development.”

The president asked farmers to maximise the season of rainfall to increase food production.

“I hope the rainy season would be bountiful so that we can get a lot of food,” Buhari said.

“I wish the farmers will go to farms so that we can produce what we need in sufficient quantity so that we don’t have to import food.

“In any case, we don’t have any money to import food. So, we must produce what we are going to eat.”

He appealed to Nigerians to continue to observe the health precautions issued by the federal ministry of health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

“I advise Nigerians to be very careful and take the advice of the Ministry of Health,“ he said.

“The ministers of health have been doing very well, speaking and educating the citizens on the deadly virus. So, we should be very careful.”