. Insists FG steadfast in creating investment opportunities in tackling poverty
.Dollar ‘ill crash in less than a month, says Dapo Abiodun
.FG empowers 250 small holder farmers to enhance productivity
President Bola Tinubu says his administration remains steadfast in implementing necessary economic reforms to facilitate business growth and create investment opportunities that support Nigeria’s growing population.
Receiving a delegation from the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) led by Florizelle Liser, CCA’s President and Chief Executive Officer, in Abuja, on Thursday, President Tinubu reiterated his unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s economic growth and stability, emphasizing that he is not relenting until his vision for Nigeria is achieved.
The President commended the recent landing of a 45,000-kilometre submarine fibre optic cable in Akwa Ibom State, which establishes connectivity for the entire South-South region of Nigeria with Europe, and other parts of Africa via the Atlantic Ocean.
Highlighting the significance of this accomplishment, the President noted that with the right policies, partnerships, and determination, Nigeria can overcome long-standing developmental challenges that have encumbered rapid progress across sectors.
Drawing on his extensive experience in corporate governance and interactions with CCA during his tenure as the two-term governor of Lagos State, President Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the Corporate Council’s dedication to fostering business connections between the United States of America and Africa.
”I am happy that the Council is interested in various segments of Nigeria’s economy. We are right in the middle of a challenging stage of our reforms. We have headwinds, no doubt, but we are not going back.
”We are challenged, and we believe we will overcome the challenges. I have a can-do attitude that must be translated into a must-do attitude. We have a good team, and we must remain focused to get the goal accomplished,” he said.
President Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to creating an enabling environment for business to thrive, emphasizing that his administration’s focus on investing in key sectors, such as agriculture, solid minerals, energy, health, physical infrastructure, trade promotion, financial services, digital enterprise, and the creative economy is underpinned by the need to ensure the welfare and prosperity of citizens.
”We are going to do more on security and investing in education, as we believe that education is the greatest weapon against poverty. We welcome partners like CCA, and we will strengthen our partnership to achieve our goals,” he said.
In her remarks, Ms. Liser expressed CCA’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s economic growth through the eight priority areas outlined by President Tinubu’s administration.
She invited President Tinubu to consider participating in CCA’s US-Africa Business Summit in May in Dallas, Texas, and urged him to consider CCA as a partner in enhancing USA-Nigeria trade, business, and investment.
.Dollar ‘ill crash in less than a month, says Dapo Abiodun
Meanwhile, Ogun state governor, Dapo Abiodun, said that the value of the dollar to naira will crash in less than a month.
Abiodun said this during a stakeholder meeting at the Cultural Center in Kuto, Abeokuta, in response to the nation’s increasing economic difficulties.
He clarified that the governors’ emergency meeting with President Bola Tinubu served as the foundation for the guarantee.
According to the governor, the federal government is prepared to take on ‘these difficulties head-on and is aware of them.’
He said: “I can assure you that the dollar will crash down in less than a month. The meeting we had with the President was very assuring and now we know that there are saboteurs in the economy, but their aim will not succeed.
“In light of the current situation, we have decided to provide our citizens with essential food items such as rice, garri, and beans. I have arranged for nearly 100 trailers of rice to be delivered, with offloading beginning tomorrow.
“To ensure fair distribution, we have decided that the elderly and vulnerable will receive the rice free of charge, while others will be able to purchase it at the original price before the increase in the value of the dollar. This will allow us to sustain the initiative until the dollar issue is resolved.”
Abiodun said that rice and other food items will be provided for about 300,000 households throughout the State as palliatives.
“The state government will commence to offset the backlog of inherited deductions. To this end, we are immediately committing N500 million monthly payments towards outstanding deductions. It is noteworthy that we have continued to pay N10,000 transport allowance to all civil servants for the last 8 months.
“This brings our total immediate interventions as a responsible State Government to about N5 billion across all sectors of the State economy,” the governor submitted.
.FG empowers 250 small holder farmers to enhance productivity
Also, about 250 vulnerable smallholder farmers in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, have been empowered by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, (FMAFS) in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning (FMBNP) with agricultural inputs to boost productivity as well as achieve food and nutrition security.
The empowerment programme, which is under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy, NPRGS, aimed to address poverty at its roots and boost the economic growth of Nigerians.
Speaking during the training and empowerment of verified and validated farmers, held at the Agricultural Development Programme, (ADP), Gwagwalada, Abuja on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary, FMAFS, Mr. Temitope Fadeshemi, represented by the Director, Department of Agricultural Extension Services, Michael Brooks said that the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), in collaboration with the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension Service (FDAE), has diligently enumerated and validated approximately 250 farmers for participation in the transformative programme.
Temitope Fadeshemi stated that the initiative was to empower small holder farmers boost production as well as achieve food and nutrition security.
He explained that farmers are not just the backbone of the agricultural sector and heartbeat of food production but also the engine of national prosperity, hence they must be placed on the front burner under President Tinubu-led ‘Renewed Hope’ Agenda.
He also charged participating farmers to see their role as paramount in shaping the trajectory of the nation’s agricultural success.
According to him, “through initiatives like training and empowerment programs, we are sowing the seeds of positive change, ensuring that small holder farmers have the knowledge, resources and support needed to thrive in an ever-evolving agricultural landscape.
“As we equip farmers with the tools to enhance food productivity, improve resilience, and embrace sustainable practices, we are laying the foundation for a more resilient and prosperous agricultural sector’’ he noted.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Director , Department of Agricultural Extension Services, FDAES, Mr. Michael Brooks, represented by a Director, FDAES, Dr. Deola Lordbanjou, stated that the inputs that would boost productivity of farmers are distributed free of charge in recognition of the great jobs they are doing.
He also appealed to Nigerians to engage in backyard farming to ease pressure and to solve the problem of hunger in the land.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Lydia Oke, expressed delight at the intervention and assistance given to small holder farmers and promised that the inputs would be used judiciously.
Highlight of the event was the training and distribution of agricultural inputs to small holder farmers.
