President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration has created more than 13 million direct and indirect jobs in the past seven and a half years.
Buhari disclosed this at an interactive session 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 President said his administration’s targeted interventions in the agricultural sector driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), have transformed the country from a net importer of rice to a self-sufficient rice producer.
He said;
‘‘This same scheme has financed the establishment and operations of our fifty (50) integrated rice mills.
‘‘It has also financed over 4.5 million smallholder farmers, ensured the cultivation of almost 6 million hectares of farmland and almost 700 large-scale agricultural projects have been funded.
‘‘This Agricultural revolution has led to the creation of over 13m direct and indirect jobs.”
Buhari also said his administration’s focus on the agricultural sector placed Nigeria in a better position to handle the systemic shock caused by both COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war on global food supply.
He added;
‘‘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.
‘‘In this regard, we are paying more attention now to energy transmission and distribution through targeted collaboration with global companies like Siemens to improve our efficiency in the Power Value Chain.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has no reason not to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in 2023 as he has approved all that was requested by the electoral umpire.
The president stated this during 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.
He asserted his confidence in INEC’s readiness for the 2023 elections.
“INEC is ready because I made sure they were given all the resources they asked for because I don’t want any excuses that they were denied funds by the government.
Since 2015, the conduct of our elections continues to steadily improve. From the 2019 general elections, the by-elections and the off-season elections in Edo, Ekiti, Anambra and Osun States were conducted in largely improved contexts to the satisfaction of contestants and voters.
‘That is what we hope for in 2023. Through the observatory roles of the International Community, the credibility of the elections can be further enhanced to make the acceptability of the outcome to the contestants and political parties a non-issue.’’he said
