Nigeria’s Backbone Was Built By The Farmers – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says he will soon inaugurate a National Food Security Council aimed at achieving the nation’s quest for food security, and to ensure efficiency in the agricultural sector of the economy.

“Our experiences today of clashes between farmers and herdsmen or the challenges fishermen face due to global warming and other environmental factors clearly demonstrates that our quest for food security has a direct link to our national security objectives.

“The Food Security Council will ensure alignment and bring efficiencies.

“I want to assure all Nigerians that this administration is committed to Nigeria feeding itself. And from what I have heard today this can happen in not too distant future,’’ he said.

“Indeed, Nigeria’s backbone was built by the farmers. Somehow, we as a society abandoned the agriculture sector of our economy.

“Agriculture became an afterthought and we forced our farmers into poverty.

“Thankfully, Nigerians have now woken up to the fact that it is an embarrassment for us, as a nation, to import most of what we eat, given the great natural gifts of our country.

“We have the fertile land, we have water and the manpower to feed ourselves. Therefore, we have no reason to import essential foodstuffs.

“When we came in 2015, there were 13 rice mills in Nigeria. Twelve of these were built between 2009 and 2015. This was an average of two mills per annum. But my team and I felt more could be done.

“And we put in place measures and policies to unlock the potential of this sector and thus, increase the rate of investments,’’ he said.