Stakeholders in engineering, research, and media have criticised poor investment and policy missteps as key reasons behind Nigeria’s weak agricultural productivity, warning that without a national shift to mechanised farming, food insecurity will worsen.
The warning came on Friday at the 33rd monthly lecture of the Industrial and Production Engineering Alumni Association (IPEAA) of the University of Ibadan.
Speaking at the virtual session, Mr. Godson Ohuruogu, CEO of TracTrac Mechanisation Services Limited, said inconsistent government promises and failure to support local engineering efforts are directly discouraging private investors and limiting farmers’ access to critical tools.
“Farmers are stuck. The government says it will provide inputs and never delivers, so private players withdraw,” Ohuruogu said. “And with naira devaluation, a tractor that cost ₦4 million in 2015 now sells for over ₦50 million. It’s not viable anymore.”
He stressed that Nigeria must begin producing its own agricultural machinery, calling local fabrication the only sustainable route.
“We cannot keep importing. It’s too expensive and unreliable. We need to start building for ourselves,” he added.
Chairman of the event, Prof. John Adeoti of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), said Nigeria’s development must reflect its local challenges, not just follow global blueprints.
“Infrastructure must serve our own reality. Sub-Saharan Africa has priorities that the global agenda often overlooks,” Adeoti said.
Also speaking, Dr. Oladimeji Ramon, who represented the Managing Director, Mr. Adeyeye Joseph, linked the infrastructural collapse in Nigeria to the mass emigration of young professionals.
“One of the biggest reasons people are leaving is the lack of working infrastructure. People are tired of managing dysfunction,” Ramon said.
He praised the IPEAA lecture initiative, saying it helps close the gap between university research and real-world challenges.
The lecture was hosted by Professor Victor Oladokun, Head of the Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, UI, and moderated by Dr. Ademola Adeyeye.
However, Principal of the International School, UI, Mr. Y. Akintunde, who served as guest of honor, applauded the initiative for promoting innovation and relevant conversation.
