Business
Alake Confident Nigeria’ll Overcome Economic Hardship
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake has said that Nigeria would soon overcome its current economic hardship.
Alake gave the assurance in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the hardship was because Nigeria was going through a gestation period of economic restructuring and reforms.
He said that President Bola Tinubu was determined to revamp Nigeria’s economy and put on a pedestal for sustainable growth through his Renewed Hope agenda.
According to him, the President has a track record of changing the economic tides of a region, just as he did when he was the governor of Lagos State.
“Going down memory lane to the experience in Lagos state, the then governor Tinubu in 1999, met a state that was almost insolvent, with a monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N600 million.
“ And a wage bill of over N1.1 billion monthly, with little or no resources to cater to infrastructure and other sectors of the economy.
“President Tinubu took similar measures in Lagos as he is taking in Nigeria, to turn the tide and financially re-engineer the state. Today, the state is the fifth largest economy in Africa, bigger than most African countries.
“What we are going through is the gestation period of reforms and policies for economic restructuring and like the President will say, it is like throes of pregnancy, that a pregnant woman goes through.
“After delivery, she heaves a sigh of relief,” he said.
The minister urged Nigerians to be patient with the government as the current economic situation would soon stabilise with positive results from on going reforms.
“For the first time, Nigeria has a president well-versed in public finance. I am confident in this administration’s capacity to diversify the economy, plug leakages, and redirect the economy to a path of sustainable growth.
“ The future of this country is extremely very bright. What we need to do is to exude confidence in our ability and capacity to weather the storm of restructuring, economic and societal restructuring.
“As we restructure our economy, putting in physical infrastructure, we must also restructure our minds and mental capacity to be at par with physical development.
“ So that we can efficiently and judiciously enjoy the benefits of physical development.
“With the cooperation of Nigerians, the tide will turn very soon, and we all will be proud, he
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and other stakeholders have charted path to improved organic agriculture practices nationwide.
At a 2024 national organic and agroecology business summit held recently in Abuja, stakeholders took turn to speak on the additional areas of promoting the practices.
The Mandate Secretary, FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), Lawan Geidam, advocated for sustainable practice to develop resilient food systems that will benefit people.
The event, with the theme,”Towards Policies for Upscaling Organic Agroecological Businesses in Nigeria”, is aimed at fostering growth in the organic agriculture sector.
Geidam, who was represented by the Acting Director, Agric Services, in the Secretariat, Mr. Ofili Bennett, emphasised the success of organic and agroecological farming, reling on the active involvement of farmers, businesses and consumers.
He reassured attendees that the FCT Administration, led by the Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, remains dedicated to supporting initiatives that enhance the livelihood of residents.
Geidam described the partnership between the Secretariat and the organic and Agroecology initiative for a monthly exhibition and sale of organic products in the FCTA premises as a testament to this commitment.
“The ARDS remains committed to driving policies and initiatives that align with national goals and global standards”, Geidam said.
On her part, the Chairperson of Organic and Agroecology Initiative, Mrs. Janet Igho, urged residents to embrace healthy eating habits to sustain a good lifestyle. She stressed the importance of adopting organic practices, highlighting the benefits of going organic, growing organic and consuming organic products.
Igho expressed her optimism regarding the Agricultural Revival Programmes as articulated in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda”, which aims at fostering food and nutrition security.
She also extended her gratitude to ARDS for graciously allocating a space in the FCTA premises for the exhibition and sale of organic products, noting that the platform has been effectively used to advance the promotion of organic agriculture in FCT.
Igho outlined several benefits of organic agriculture which includes improved soil health, increased biodiversity, availability nutritious and healthy food and a reduced carbon footprint.
Stakeholders at the summit, underscored the critical need for enhanced private sector involvement and robust capacity building initiatives for farmers.
They highlighted the importance of implementing supportive policies to foster the growth of the organic agriculture sector.
In the light of the significant challenges facing Nigeria’s agricultural landscape, stakeholders decided that organic agricultural practices present sustainable solutions and a pathway for a more resilient and productive farming systems.
The three-day summit featured exhibitions showcasing organic foods, fruits, vegetables and fertilizers, providing an opportunity for residents to better appreciate the benefits of production and consumption of organic agricultural products.
