THOSE pushing for a rapid development of the economy received a bad news on Monday as Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State announced that Nigeria’s oil production has dropped from 2.5 million barrels per day to 1.9 million barrels per day.
To the governor, the drop will affect the income of the country from oil.
He also added that the situation would be worsened if, in the next two months, the United States (U.S.) begins the sale of its oil.
Inaugurating the Niger State Agricultural Transformation Committee at the Government House, Minna, Aliyu said it was time the nation looked for other sources of income rather than depending on oil, “especially now that most West African countries have discovered oil”.
He said: ‘We must be conscious of the fact that we can’t rely on oil. Since May, we have been finding it difficult with what comes into the federation account. Last week’s allocation committee meeting was postponed because the NNPC was not able to pay money into the federation account’.
“Oil is now found in virtually everywhere, people have found other ways other than oil, OPEC and the United States will in the next two months struggle for the oil market.
“The solution to this challenge is for the country to return to the land and make farmers to embark on mechanized farming”.
