My vision to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty realisable — Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari said his vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of the poverty cycle within ten years can be done.
President Buhari said this Monday after commissioning the first National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) Integrated Farm Estate in Suduje-Daura, Katsina State.
The President said he was optimistic about the realisation of the goal with more synergy between government and the people, and diligence in diversifying the economy, with agriculture as the backbone.
President Buhari, in a statement issued by his media aide, Garba Shehu said the reliance on oil had turned a drawback on the economy over the years, with unpredictable and fluctuating global prices that made it more difficult to effectively plan budgets, implement and measure outcomes.
The President said the mainstay of the Nigerian economy remained agriculture, where the country already commands a competitive advantage, with good weather conditions for crop and livestock farming, available manpower and willingness to learn new skills, and good soil types for all-season farming.
“I wish to restate that my commitment of getting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty is realisable. The country is robustly blessed with good weather conditions, good soil, human and material capacity, and resilience to make a difference by all the hardworking youths.
“We can do it, and we will do it. No excuse will be good enough to remain a mono-economy with all the challenges in oil production and fluctuating global prices when we have vast opportunities in crop and livestock production,’’ he said.
President Buhari noted that a globalized world places more emphasis on the competitive edge of the economy for relevance and Nigeria would always play a leading role in the agricultural sector, with the vastness in experience, crop cultivation, animal husbandry, and more recently, a rising youth interest.
In his remarks, the Katsina State Governor thanked the President for the initiative of resuscitating NALDA, noting that agriculture had always been the strength of the Nigerian economy until the 70s.
He said with proper management of the project and a strong irrigation system the integrated farm would serve its full purpose, with benefits to the people and economy of the state.
Kebbi state Governor, Atiku Abubakar Bagudu said all the 36 states of the federation and FCT had benefited from the administration’s policy of always targeting grassroots with development projects.
The Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk, thanked the President for always projecting the best of the community in his office. “We are proud of you. We are proud of the legacy you continuously project,” he said.