Which governor in northern Nigeria is going to come up with an audacious neem production plant that will create 50,000 jobs?

Ayo Akinfe

(1) Popularly known as dogonyaro, neem is widely grown across northern Nigeria where it is put to several uses. It is time to tap into this potential goldmine

(2) Nigeria is the world’s second largest neem producer behind India but you can be guaranteed we are not taking advantage of the crop as they are. India has a thriving pharmaceutical industry centred around the crop generating millions in foreign exchange earnings

(3) Do you know that the global neem market is worth about $2bn annually? Now ask yourself how much of that comes to Nigeria or if we have any plans to grow the market

(4) Across Nigeria, neem is widely used to treat malaria but alas, we do not have globally branded neem-based anto-malaria drug packaged like say Paracetamol.

(5) Among other things, neem leaf is used for leprosy, eye disorders, bloody nose, intestinal worms, stomach upset, loss of appetite, skin ulcers, diseases of the heart and blood vessels, fever, diabetes, gum disease and liver problems

(6) Neem oil is widely used for medicinal purposes. It is a very popular essential oil used to treat all sorts of ailments

(7) Neem is also widely used as an organic pesticide

(8) Malaysia and India have begin research into seeing if neem can be used to manufacture a coronavirus vaccine

(9) I am waiting for one Nigerian governor to set aside say 100 square kilometres to be used to cultivate the world’s largest neem plantation. I would then like him to woo pharmaceutical companies to come and open processing plants in his state. I want to see branded neem oil, neem soap, neem tablets, neem mineral water, neem meal, neem lotion, neem spray, neem herbicide, etc

(10) Nigeria should exploit the Covid-19 crisis, using it as a basis to attract foreign direct investment into the neem industry. We need initiatives like this if we are to soak up the 13m out-of-school kids and 80m Nigerians living below the poverty line. If we do not, banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and religious extremism will just continue to thrive