Northern farmers and pastoralists of Fulani extraction on Monday pledged their support for the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at a town hall meeting in Minna, the Niger State capital.
This is even as the APC candidate promised to undertake reforms in the farming, fishing and livestock sector that will make the industry competitive.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja by Tinubu Media Officer, Tunde Rahman.
Tinubu also promised to make the agriculture sector the bedrock of Nigeria’s new economy when he becomes president.
Among the groups that endorsed the former Lagos State governor were the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Miyetti Allah Keutal Hore, Maize Association of Nigeria, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria and the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria.
Midway through the programme, Tinubu appointed the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, to head a committee to fashion a blueprint that will help position the agric sector to occupy its deserved pride of place.
During his interaction with the farmers’ groups, Tinubu acknowledged that all the states in the country have the ability to offer one or two things to ensure that the nation fully produces what it eats.
He said, “Northern Nigeria has great agricultural potential due to its abundant arable land. It must continue to march at the forefront if the sector is to significantly advance at all.
“Every state and the FCT have some degree of competitive advantage in agriculture; whether horticulture or crop production, fisheries, poultry or animal husbandry. Properly developed, these assets will not only satisfy our domestic needs but make Nigeria a global force within a short time.
“If Nigeria fully harnesses its agricultural potential, our exports will rise to the level such that we shall feed much of sub-Saharan Africa, allowing us to better balance our economy while fostering social tranquillity, stronger consumer bases and political goodwill between us and other nations in the region and on the continent.”
Other dignitaries in attendance at the town hall engagement included the National APC Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima; the Director-General of APC Presidential Campaign Council, Simon Lalong; Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru; Niger State APC governorship candidate, Umar Bago and the host governor, Abdullahi Sani-Bello.
