* Describes President's Visit To Gambia As An Affirmation Of His Leadership Role In Africa
By Chinwendu Agoha (Governance Reporter)
A major Buhari Support Group known as Buhari Media Organization (BMO), said on Friday that President Muhammadu Buhari's rice revolution program has ushered Nigeria into the position of the highest producer of rice in Africa, with a production of about nine million metric tons of rice as of the end of 2021.
The BMO said this is worthy of celebration, as according to them, it is a milestone in the country's quest for food sufficiency and sustainability. The group also said that it has made millionaires of many Nigerian farmers.
The BMO made this observation in its reaction to the unveiling of the Federal Capital Territory mega rice pyramid under the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), comprising 13 pyramids of one million bags each.
In a statement by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, BMO said this represents the aggregated paddy rice submitted as repayment of loans by members of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) under the 2020 dry season and 2021 wet seasons.
According to the group, "no President in the history of Nigeria had done this ever before. Not only has the rice revolution been achieved in the country, for the first time in Nigeria and Sub-Sahara Africa, but smallholder and subsistence farmers have also been targeted and empowered to become commercial farmers.
"Farmers are no longer destitute. We now have millionaire farmers that are responsible and responsive, taking advantage of government interventions to boost their local production.
"As at the end of December 2021, President Buhari, through the CBN, had financed 4,489,786 farmers that cultivated 5,300,411 hectares, across 21 commodities, through 23 Participating Financial Institutions (PTIs) in the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT".
BMO noted that in addition to an increased national output of over nine million metric tons in 2021, from about 5.4 million metric tons in 2015, smallholder farmers' productivity per hectare have significantly improved from about 2.4 metric tons per hectare in 2015 to about five metric tons per hectare in 2021.
"Also, the number of Rice Mills in the country which was initially six as at 2015 has increased to over 50 in 2021 with more under construction. "This has translated into the creation of many job opportunities for Nigerians.
"The rice revolution has drastically reduced the rate of rice importation, and as a result saved the country foreign exchange.
"Thailand which exported 1.3 million metric tons of rice to Nigeria in 2014, exported only 2,160 metric tons as at the end of last year. All these are attestations that President Buhari has effectively delivered on the rice revolution".
BMO expressed hope that with time, "more rice will be delivered to the market leading to a reduction in price. We believe that in the next few years, we will have no need to import rice into the country, rather, we will be a rice exporting nation".
In another development, the BMO stated that the recent visit by President Muhammadu Buhari to the inauguration of Gambian President, Adama Barrow, for a second term in office, is proof that Nigeria is promoting democracy, good governance and the rule of law in the West African sub-region.
According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), President Buhari is also sustaining his prominent role as a leader in the politics of the sub-region, and Africa as a whole.
BMO Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, said in a statement that the group recalled that it was the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari that led to the swearing in of Adama Barrow as president when former president Yahya Jammeh refused to vacate office after he lost an election to Barrow.
"Nigeria, under the leadership of President Buhari, had deployed the Nigerian military to Banjul, Gambia capital, to help restore order after the election, and the former president vacated office.
"We are of the opinion that President Buhari has used every available opportunity to spread the message of democracy, good governance and rule of law in West Africa and the entire continent. This is a clear indication that Nigeria, under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has bounced back, and is now playing a proactive leadership role in the region.
"We believe that the visit of Mr. President will open a window of opportunities for more bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and The Gambia. It will also go a long way to boost economic cooperation between both countries, especially as more Nigerian businesses are making inroads into The Gambia.
"It is also worthy of note that Nigeria’s relationship with The Gambia goes as far back as twenty years ago when a Nigerian Judge was appointed as the Chief Justice of the West African country. Recently, the Nigerian Minister of Defence signed a defense pact with his Gambian counterpart formalizing both countries’ relations spanning over 60 years".
BMO also recalled that "President Buhari has continued to wield Nigeria’s enormous influence in the West African region with his support for ECOWAS sanctions on the Malian military junta for seizing power from a democratically-elected government.
"We hold the view that the status of Nigeria as a giant of Africa has, rather than diminish, blossomed under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari contrary to deliberate and malicious misgivings in some quarters", the statement added. NNL.
