Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state submitted on Tuesday that Nigeria remains the best investment destination in West Africa and other parts of the world.
Bagudu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicirty, Mr Yahaya Sarki noted in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com that the governor said this during the visit of the Chairman of Wacot rice, Alhaji Faruk Gumel and other officials of the company to the Government House, Birni Kebbi.
He was also accompanied by the Chairman of the Union Bank and the representative of Lagos state Government.
Governor Bagudu was highly optimistic that Nigerian Rice Farmers could double their production with the application of scientific methods which he described as necessary in modern times.
He thanked Wacot for supporting farmers with improved rice seedlings, and expressed happiness that the company had proved Nigeria’s status as an investment destination.
He added that the second rice mill established by Wacot in Argungu was a testimony to this objective which had also facilitated the self- sufficiency in rice production attained by the country.
“Wacot has really demonstrated that this is real and we can feed our immediate neighbours and other parts of the world especially with rice.
They are now doubling their capacity and work is in progress.
They have promised to commission the project before May 29, 2023 and from what I saw, it will become a reality’ he said.
Nigeria, Governor Bagudu added, has become a big market for rice while adding that efforts of Wacot in the state had boosted financial inclusion.
He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had taken office in 2015 during economic crisis.
“He took over when the world economy was in crisis and we don’t have money to import the foods that we were used to importing.
Buhari decided that Nigerians should eat what they grow and grow what they eat and he launched the Anchor Borrowers Programme in 2015.
Alhaji Faruk Gumel was instrumental in that happy development and Wacot immediately took off in Kebbi state’ he added.
Bagudu noted that the company believes in Nigeria and described its Chairman as ingenious.
He also recalled the robust partnership between Kebbi and Lagos states which gave birth to Lake Rice, saying, ‘it really worked well’.
The Chairman of Wacot, Mallam Faruq Gumel said the purpose of the visit was to ensure an enhanced agricultural production with possible support from the financial institutions.
Gumel ,who is also the Chairman of Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, said the firm was expanding its rice mill and doubling its capacity.
The visit, he noted, was part of the commemoration of Wacot’s partnership with USAID, called ‘rice enhancement and financial inclusion programme.’
It was also meant to inaugurate a financial inclusion programme that will capture the non -banking farmers in the state while highlighting the progress made and assessed the impact of the activities of the company..
“In the last two years, it has really been difficult to get people to do this and we are here to change the narrative’ Gumel said.
The Lagos state government official, who is the Director of Rice Value Chain, Balogun Wakilu Olabode, commended Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu for laying the foundation of agricultural revival in Nigeria especially rice production submitting that the brainchild of the governor, ‘Lakerice’, is the most popular among Lagosians.
An official of Wacot, Habiba Suleiman also presented a progress report of the company.
Speaker, Kebbi state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Muhammad Sani Abubakar Lolo, the Majority Leader, Faruq Aliyu Nassarawa Jega, the Secretary to the State Government SSG, Babale Umar Yauri, as well as the Permanent Secretaries of Government House, Agriculture, Finance, Budget and Economic Development, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the Director, Administration, ICT Ministry attended the event- Team@orientactualmags.com
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