I recently got privy to some concering information about the following:

- Nigerian Customs (Ports) apparently banned some agro products' exports (e.g Charcoal) because they wanted to raise the levies on those products unofficially, thereby reducing the forex we receive from said agro exports. Also Note: they then started allowing those exports unofficially, but at 5x the original cost and they do this unofficially meaning they don't requit any moneys to the FG

- Cost of production in Nigeria is higher than other west african countries for thesame agro products e.g Sesame Seeds.. therefore buyers will prefer to buy from those cheaper countries, and also, entrepreneurs will leave nigeria to those cheaper countries e.g Ghana and other west african countries

-The insecurity in Nigeria is also making prices of raw materials sky rocket

- Take this case study: Nigeria accounts for 40% of global Shea Nut Production, but Ghana who have 4% of global Shea Nut Production export more Shea butter (the processed shea nut- the finished product) than Nigeria

-Nigeria is the Number one producer of cassava in the world, but we import about 90% of our starch (a by product of cassava)

-in 1950 we were the no1 producer of palm oil (40% of global output), but now we only account for about 3% of global output. If we had maintained that 40% since the 50s, we would have been making a guaranteed 20 billion USD per annum from this agro product- mind you this is not including post processing to palm kernel nut, and other value added products.. and the irony is that we made only 26 Billion USD in 2019 from crude oil.. so one product (palm oil) would have made us 20 billion USD, (and we have over 100 agro products.. yet we only focus on oil)

- if the Nigeria Export Promotion Council start doing their jobs instead of just sitting down and just collecting salaries, this country can really start increasing our forex

All through all these, corruption is the bane of our productivity. E.g Someone bringing tomatoes from the north will have to add 10% or more to the cost of that raw material due to bribing soldiers at road blocks along the way from the north to the cities in the south.

What is the way forward Naija

Let keep embracing corruption and see how far that will take us ..let's keep telling our Brothers in custom to sharp Dem eyes and look for workchop

If the custom tamper with cows our president will not just react but act.

But for other issues he care less.