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While Nigeria is looking for ways to limit the unbridled import of goods exceeding exports and paralyzing the country's economy, it has been revealed that some nationals would go as far as ordering pizzas in London and pick them up at the airport. airport.
This was revealed by the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, who appeared Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Agriculture in Abuja to defend the ministry's budget for 2019.
"Do you know, sir, that there are Nigerians who use their cell phones to import pizza from London? They buy in London and bring it in the morning to British Airways to pick him up at the airport, 'TheCable newspaper city the minister as said.
"It's a very boring situation and we need to move much faster to reduce some of these things," he added.
The minister expressed concern over the country's fixation on imports that affected local markets and the value of its currency due to rising import rates.
"A toothpick costs $ 18 million every year; Tomato paste costs us $ 400 million. Meanwhile, a basket of tomatoes is less than 2,000 N [$5.54]… Farmers are losing money because processors do not have enough money to set up factories. Two factories have started. I am sure that by the end of next year, we will be able to comfortably tell importers of tomato paste to stop, "he said.
Nigeria is considered an economic engine in Africa, but economic fundamentals are weak compared to world markets. Experts attribute the country's problems to domestic factors such as the high unemployment rate, inflation and the international trade deficit.
There are hundreds of pizzerias in Lagos and Abuja alone, but the minister's statement only serves to convincingly confirm the belief that some Nigerians actually lead elaborate lifestyles.
At the same time, the country plans to take out long-term loans to finance its 2019 budget, in addition to borrow at home to mitigate the financial crisis.
"We intend to finance the 2019 budget by borrowing locally and internationally with a 50:50 spread. We are focusing on long-term concessional lending, "Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed said on Wednesday.
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