Friday, 2nd July 2021: President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said that the focus on agriculture by his administration is paying off handsomely, and Nigerians are not regretting it.

He spoke at the presidential villa, Abuja, while receiving in audience former Prime Minister of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, His Excellency Ato Hailemariam Dessalegn Boshe.

A statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity) quoted him as saying: “We needed to go back to the land, as petroleum could no longer sustain the country, particularly with fluctuating prices. Today, we eat what we grow, and we have stopped the importation of many food products. There’s no foreign exchange to even waste again.

“Agriculture has also helped us to generate employment. We have embraced technology, and some people are even leaving the offices to go back to the land. And they are not regretting it. That is the feedback we get.”

The former Prime Minister congratulated President Buhari for achievements Nigeria has attained under him, especially in agriculture, and for successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saying he was in the country on the auspices of Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, His Excellency Boshe noted that the organization was working in 16 countries in Africa, “and if we want to change anything in the continent, it must start with Nigeria.”

He stressed that Africa must emulate what is happening in other parts of the world as regards agriculture, and with Nigeria having achieved greatly, being able to stop rice importation, “we want to champion the Nigerian policy at the continental level. We should have a common African voice on food self-sufficiency. Africa can feed the globe.”