President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Washington D.C said Nigeria’s agricultural revolution has led to the creation of over 13million direct and indirect jobs in the last seven and half-years.
The President disclosed this at an interactive session, titled: “A conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria’’, co-hosted by the United State Institute of Peace (USIP), the International Republican Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.
The Nigerian leader used the occasion to once again advise western nations not to be in a rush to eliminate the usage of fossil fuels in a bid to ensure a healthy climate. He further said Nigeria’s economy has registered positive growth in the last two quarters despite the gloomy outlook in the global economy, and the war in Ukraine.
President Buhari also cautioned western nations on the frivolous issuance of travel advisories on Nigeria, urging the international media to be more objective in its reportage of the country. He told the international community that despite the non- nonchalant actions and attitudes of some of friends and allies, Nigeria is nonetheless winning the war on terrorism, making significant progress in dealing with the threats to Nigeria’s and the sub-regions safety and survival.
The Nigerian leader also called on the United States to do more to improve the quality of governance in the West African sub-Region, warning that the survival of democracy is being challenged in the aftermath of the democratic set-backs witnessed in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.
Expounding on steps taken by his administration to expand Nigeria’s economy since coming into power in 2015, the President said focused interventions in agriculture, driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), transitioned the country from being a net importer of rice, Nigeria’s staple food, to becoming self-sufficient in its production. The President however acknowledged that Nigeria and the West African region have been negatively impacted by the events in Libya, Central Africa Republic, The Sahel and the war in Ukraine.
President Buhari commended the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Multi-national Joint Task Force, consisting of Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Benin Republic and Nigeria, for demonstrating great bravery in the fight against terrorism, while paying the ultimate price in securing collective freedom.
