Nigeria can meet tea, coffee demands of citizens — Lawmaker


A lawmaker, Sen. Abubakar Yusuf, representing Taraba Central Senatorial District, said Nigeria had the capacity to meet the tea and coffee demands of the country if it had the right policies.

The lawmaker said this at a news conference in Jalingo on Wednesday to mark his one year at the Senate.

Yusuf said a bill to ensure tea and coffee policy for the country was in the pipeline.

According to him, tea and coffee potential of the Mambilla plateau of Taraba will
comfortably meet the national demand for the products and even earn the nation foreign exchange.

He explained that the country’s current demand for tea was about 10 million tonnes per annum and it currently produced 1.2 million tonnes, which was a far cry from the requirement and huge potential.

“The Mambilla plateau in Taraba has the best tea and coffee potential in the world, but as I speak, the country has not yet taken advantage of the opportunity to turn around its economy,” he said.

Yusuf said that within his one year at the Senate, he proposed three bills, which include
a bill on harmonisation and streamlining of activities of corporate governance and practice.

Others are standardising commercial exchanges with standard weights and measures and a bill to support non petroleum based products.

He said that the bills, which were all at advanced stages, were aimed at building legislative frameworks for critical issues regarding the wellbeing and development of the country.

The lawmaker added that he sponsored the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for about 270 candidates across the 54 wards in his senatorial district to support the growth of education.

Yusuf commended President Muhammadu Buhari “for taking practical steps toward actualising the long-awaited Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project for the good of the country.

“We cannot but rejoice with the present government for showing commitment
toward realisation of the Mambilla Hydroelectric Dam Project which has been there for years.

“It should be noted that the construction phase of the project alone is enough to spur Nigeria’s economy to the pedestal of global economic recognition given the volume of employment, resource utilisation and materials required.”

The lawmaker urged the people of his zone to shun violence and embrace dialogue to support the present administration to succeed.


Yusuf was sworn in as senator after a legal tussle which saw him win against Alhaji Barshir Marafa of PDP at the court of appeal in Yola.  

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