The colonial government in Nigeria laid more emphasis on the production of export crops because

The colonial government in Nigeria laid more emphasis on the production of export crops because such crops were desperately needed abroad. This was due to the fact that the British colonial government saw Nigeria as a major source of raw materials for their industries in Europe. As a result, they focused on exporting cash crops such as cocoa, groundnuts, and palm oil to Europe, rather than supporting the production of food crops for local consumption. The profits from the export of these crops were used to finance the colonial government's administrative expenses and to promote the development of European infrastructure in Nigeria.