President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Daura, Katsina State, disclosed that he has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop providing foreign exchange for importation of food into the country, with the steady improvement in agricultural production, and attainment of full food security. Senior Special Assistant to the President, (Media & Publicity) Garba Shehu disclosed this in a press release Tuesday.
The
President, who hosted All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to Eid-el-Kabir
lunch at his country home in Daura, said the foreign reserve will be conserved
and utilized strictly for diversification of the economy, and not for
encouraging more dependence on foreign food import bills.
“Don’t give
a cent to anybody to import food into the country,’’ he said.
President noted that some states like Kebbi, Ogun, Lagos, Jigawa, Ebonyi and Kano had already taken advantage of the Federal Government’s policy on agriculture with huge returns in rice farming, urging more states to plug into the ongoing revolution to feed the nation.
“We have
achieved food security, and for physical security we are not doing badly,’’he said.
President
Buhari said he was particularly delighted that young Nigerians, including
graduates, have started exploring agric-business and entrepreneurship, with
many posting testimonies of good returns on their investments.
President Buhari said the incoming ministers will be “taught’’ and thoroughly guided to ensure they meet the targets of the APC-led government for the people, with regular monitoring of their performances and scaling up of targets by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The
President assured that he will attend the Presidential Policy Retreat organized
for the ministers by the OSFG, and insisted on compliance with laid down
targets on key sectors of the economy that will directly impact on the
livelihood of Nigerians.
In his
remarks, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti
State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, said the President’s sense of justice, fairness
and forthrightness had turned a major inspiration to governors on the way
forward for the country.
He said the challenges
faced by states “were enormous’’, but the governors had remained undaunted,
assuring the President of strong support and “the very best effort’’ to
overcome all the obstacles.
The Chairman
of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku
Bagudu, appreciated the President for the unique leadership style of
maintaining a healthy relationship with governors on individual and collective
basis, pointing out that they had been “energized’’ to do more in their
states.
The governor
commended the President for making bold and courageous efforts to reposition
the economy for majority Nigerians through inclusive policies.
“The country
is more secure than in 2015, and the country is more prosperous than in 2015
because you are working for the majority of the people,’’ he added.
The governor said the party had been repositioned, after the 2019 elections, to work for the benefit of the majority of Nigerians, noting that “there will two elections this year and we need to work towards winning the two states.’’
