The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, was in Kebbi State early in the week, where he called on the state government and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector of the economy to invest massively in that sector as God has endowed the state with vast agricultural lands.
Obi noted that Ukraine, which has just donated grains to Nigeria, does not have half the cultivated land Kebbi State and the entire North West geopolitical zone of Nigeria have, noting further that investment in agriculture is a greater priority and a legacy worth handing over to future generations to come.
The former presidential candidate of the Labour Party also said that the problems of insecurity, poverty, inflation, and food insufficiency will be eradicated with an improvement in agricultural production in the country.
He said that it was necessary for the Federal Government to invest heavily in agriculture as the backbone of the economy more than oil, pointing out that Nigeria has the largest uncultivated land of any nation in the world, most of which is located in the northern part of Nigeria.
“With effective agriculture production, the sector has the capacity to take millions of Nigerians out of poverty and address the problems of insecurity in the country.
In addition, agriculture is the basic foundation for attaining food security, eliminating hunger, and also serving as a foreign exchange earner to stabilise any economy.”
Obi acknowledged Kebbi State as an agricultural hub, saying it has the capacity to feed the nation through increased production.
I am on a private visit to Kebbi State, as I have already visited Nasarawa, Niger, and Sokoto States to be part of the Ramadan breakfast with our fellow Muslims and identify areas of need where I can assist.”. He added.
As part of his visit, the former governor of Anambra State provided Ramadan breakfast to 100 Muslim faithful and also commissioned a solar-powered borehole at Hutawa Fulani settlement.
He was also at the Palace of the Emir of Gwandu, where he paid a courtesy visit to the Emir, Alhaji Muhammad Illiyasu Bashar.
Earlier, the former Governor of Anambra State paid a courtesy visit to the Kebbi State Governor, Comrade Dr Nasir Idris, who told him that his administration will continue to invest in human capacity development and agriculture as the backbone of economic development.
He expressed that in view of the importance of agriculture as the pillar of economic growth and wealth creation, the state government has invested hugely in the sector, adding that recently, the state government procured fertiliser worth N2.9 billion and distributed it free to farmers irrespective of party affiliation.
The Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Bala Tafida, told the visitor that the government also distributed solar-powered water pumps and other agricultural input to farmers, aimed at reducing the cost of production, increasing yields, and stabilising the prices of farm produce.
