Over 13m jobs created in Nigeria through agriculture –Buhari

By Chinyere Anyanwu

President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that over 13 million direct and indirect jobs have been created in the last seven and half-years, through agricultural revolution.

Buhari made this disclosure during an interactive session themed, “A Conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria,’’ in Washington DC, co-hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the International Republican Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

President Buhari said his administration, since inception in 2015, focused interventions in agriculture driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

According to him, the development has transitioned the country from being a net importer of rice, Nigeria’s staple food, to becoming self-sufficient in its production.

He said: ‘‘This same scheme has financed the establishment and operations of 50 integrated rice mills. It has also financed over 4.5 million smallholder farmers, ensured the cultivation of almost six million hectares of farmland and almost 700 large scale agricultural projects have been funded. This agricultural revolution has led to the creation of over 13 million direct and indirect jobs.”

Specifically, the president stressed that focus on the agricultural sector has earned Nigeria a better position to handle the systemic shock caused by both COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war on global food supply chains and attendant price spikes.

The agricultural revolution, Buhari emphasised, has improved the country’s capacity in the agro-allied sector, making it more efficient in enhancing and maximising production yields and post-harvest losses.

‘‘The non-oil sector remains the future of our economy and I hope successive governments will consolidate on the gains we have recorded under my leadership.

‘‘You will agree with me that the Russia-Ukraine war has compelled many economies to carry out reforms and re-adjust policies to cope with the challenges posed by the conflict,” he added.