By; Sunday Ode, Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday assured that his administration would be taking more concrete actions in the months ahead to improve the nation’s economy and raise the living condition of Nigerians.
Over N3 trillion is earmarked for capital projects in the national budget passed last week by the National Assembly but President Buhari is yet to sign the budget into law for implementation.
Speaking at the 8th colloquium of the former Lagos State Governor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President Buhari said government’s desire was to invest heavily in human capital development as a step to reducing high level poverty in the country.
President Buhari eulogised the former governor whom he said possessed some unique qualities that had contributed immensely to the growth of Nigeria.
“There are very few patriots alive today that can match the qualities of Tinubu in his contribution to national growth” the President noted.
He said diversifying the nation’s economy could no longer be a slogan hence the theme of the colloquium which is “agriculture: action, work, revolution”.
The President revealed that “in the coming months, Nigerians will see much more actions. Government will continue to invest substantially in human capital development and this is just the beginning”.
Buhari said he welcomed companies that were willing to invest in the country.
“We are going to hold ourselves accountable. We will measure results. There will always be some scepticism, some have even become disorientated and impatient enough to think that barriers are insurmountable. Any one who claims great change is impossible can only look as an ordinary success,” he stressed.
The President emphasized that “despite the odds, we have incredible examples of entrepreneurs who have set up processing factories, green house farming and commercial up taking systems. We can achieve more with partnership that link up and scale up our respective efforts.
“I am declaring that we need a new approach that challenges more states and local governments, more organisation, companies and non governmental organisations and individuals, some of the younger people who are here to step up and play a role because government can not and should not do it alone. There has to be all hands on deck,” he noted.
President Buhari explained that the opportunities that the government saw in the agriculture value chain were enormous.
He commended the organisers of the Tinubu Colloquium for the choice of the theme of the event.
The annual event was also attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife, Governor of Kebbi State Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu.
Other guests included governors of Zamfara Abdulaziz Yari, Osun – Rauf Aregbesola, Ogun – Ibikunle Amosun, Adamawa- Bindow, Cross River – Ben Ayade, Bauchi – Muhammed Abubakar, Lagos – Ambode Akinwunmi, Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Oyo – Abiola Ajimobi and national chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun among others.
