African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi Adesina has predicted that President of Dangote Group Alhaji Aliko Dangote may become the largest exporter of rice in the world by 2021.
Speaking at the Mo Ibrahim Forum in Morocco over the weekend, Adesina said Africa must focus on agriculture to drive growth and create jobs on the continent.
“I remember when I was minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, Aliko Dangote was there and he was our biggest importer at the time. He and I used to dialogue all the time,” Adesina said.
He noted that when he argued with Dangote on some government policies, especially the import substitution policies, he pledged to comply with the policy.
The AfDB president added that to show his commitment, Dangote changed his business as an importer to a local producer.
He said: “I asked him what exactly he intends to do and he responded that he will put in $300 million into producing and processing rice in Nigeria. I was happy to hear that and l commended him for his commitment. But like everything about him, he came back some months back to say he has changed his mind from investing $300 million to a billion dollars.
“My take is that if this policy is continued, he would probably be the single largest producer of rice in the world in about four years. The reason why I was so excited about that is that agriculture is business and pays.”
A tripartite agreement put together by the Dangote Rice Limited to create jobs for 16,000 out-grower rice farmers in Sokoto was recently signed with the Sokoto State government and rice growers, after which he launched the rice out-growers scheme in Sokoto.
The Chairman of Dangote Rice Limited said he was moved to go into rice cultivation because of the genuine interest of the Federal Government to revive agriculture as the mainstay of the economy and reduce importation of foods that could be produced locally.
He lamented that Nigeria consumes 6.5 metric tonnes of rice, which costs the nation over $2 billion annually.
Dangote added that it is heartening that the government now has policy direction that encourages private sector’s active participation in agriculture.
He noted that “In the next three years, we want to produce one million tonnes of quality rice and make it available and affordable to the people. We hope to do 150,000 hectare and when we are done, Nigeria will not have anything to do with importation of rice.
“Dangote Rice out-growers scheme is committed to creating significant number of jobs, increasing the incomes of smallholders’ farmers and ensuring food security in the country by providing high quality seeds, fertilisers and agro-chemicals as well as technical assistance on best agricultural practice to farmers.”
Tag: Adesina
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Adesina predicts Dangote ’ll be largest exporter of rice in 2021
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Adesina hails Army for degrading Boko Haram
special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President Femi Adesina has lauded the Army for restoring order to the Northeast by clearing remnants of Boko Haram insurgents.
He spoke at the Guards Brigade First Quarter Inter-Unit Short Talk Competition, in Abuja, where he was the special guest of honour.
The event was designed to enhance the ability of men and officers in communicating effectively with the public, especially on their operations.
According to him, the Army deserve praises for curtailing activities of the insurgents, and fighting other criminal elements in the country.
His words: “I must praise the Army for clearing Boko Haram remnants from the Northeast and for other ongoing operations against criminal elements.
“We must continue to reflect and remember the great sacrifices our gallant men and women in the Nigerian Army are making to keep our fatherland safe and habitable. Well done and keep it up,’’ Adesina said.
He said regular training and retooling of the Army was important in view of rising security challenges.
“I am delighted that the Guards Brigade in particular and the Army in general, is making efforts to train its personnel.”
Adesina urged the Army to remain resolute and sustain the tempo of equipping its soldiers.
On improving communication skills for soldiers, the Presidential spokesman said acquiring appropriate skills in public speaking would enhance the Army’s internal and external relations.
Commander of the Guards Brigade Brig.- Gen. Musa Sani Yusuf said the competition was put together to enhance the personal confidence of officers and men in public speaking.
According to him, the event will highlight the roles and responsibilities of the Army to the public.
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Buhari ‘ll take Nigeria to promised land, says Adesina
THE Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Mr. Femi Adesina said yesterday President Muhammadu Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises to Nigerians, particularly in stimulating the economy for job creation, anti-corruption campaign and security of life and property.
He spoke while receiving a delegation of Northern Youths Initiative for Peace and Good Governance in Abuja.
A statement by the Deputy Director (Information), Office of the Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Attah Esa, said Adesina urged Nigerians to keep faith with the administration’s commitment to take “Nigeria to the Promised Land.”
He said: “I am glad that majority of Nigerians are still with President Buhari.
‘‘The excitement and jubilation, around the country, that greeted his return to Nigeria recently is a clear testimony of the love, confidence and belief, which Nigerians have in his leadership.
‘‘We are witnessing a positive turn around in the economy, agriculture, the fight against corruption, job creation and I am very confident that President Buhari will lead Nigeria to the Promised Land before the mandate given to him by Nigerians lapses in 2019,’’ Adesina said. -
Buhari to Adesina: ‘Thanks for holding out against mischief makers’
•President also speaks with Lai Mohammed
• Garba Shehu misses call, gets smsVacationing President Muham-madu Buhari yesterday called up his chief spokesman, Femi Adesina and Information Minister Lai Mohammed from London.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu missed his call but got an sms later.
Buhari thanked Adesina for holding out against mischief makers.
Adesina had drawn flak from the public after saying he had not spoken with his principal since he left the country.
However, the presidential aide writing on his Facebook page yesterday said: “At exactly 2:43pm today, Saturday, February 25, 2017, my phone rang. Who was at the other end? Tunde Sabiu, personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari.”
“Hold on for Mr. President,” Tunde said.
Then came the President who said: “Femi, how are you? (He calls me Adesina most times, but today (yesterday), he opted for Femi).”
“I screamed.’ Mr President, I have missed you. How are you sir?
“He first laughed. That familiar laugh. Then he said: ‘I am still resting. Thank you for holding out against mischief makers.’
“I said it was my duty, the very least I could do, adding how happy I was to speak with him.
‘How is your family?’
“I said we were fine, and he asked me to extend his greetings to them.
“‘I hope to call you again, ” Mr President said, and I bade him farewell, adding: ‘Best wishes, sir’.”
Adesina added that the call made his day, saying he never sought to speak with the president to debunk rumours about his health.
“It was a defining moment for me. For more than a month, I had always spoken with aides who are with the president in London,” he wrote.
“Not once did I ask them to take the phone to him, deliberately so, because I didn’t need to speak with him to validate the fact that he was alive. And since he was on vacation, he had a right to his privacy.
“Of his own volition, President Buhari spoke with me. It made my day. Even if he hadn’t done so, he would have remained my President, my leader, and my man. Any day.”
Garba Shehu also took to the social media to explain how he missed the President’s phone call.
He said: “A day for the Presidential Media Team. We are thankful to the President, Muhammadu Buhari for sparing the time to make calls to the Media team.
“The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed and the Special Adviser, Femi Adesina responded to the calls, exchanged greetings and thanked him for calling.
“I had an SMS from him thereafter because I missed my call! I humbly join them to say thank you, Baba Buhari!! “We are together with other Nigerians of all faiths, in praying for his safe return.”
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Buhari calls Adesina, says ‘I’m still resting’
It was the turn of Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina to speak with his boss who called from London on Saturday afternoon.
Details of the conversation Adesina had with President Buhari posted on his Facebook wall on Saturday is reproduced below:
At exactly 2.43 p.m today, Saturday, February 25, 2017, my phone rang. Who was at the other end? Tunde Sabiu, personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Hold on for Mr President,” Tunde said.
And in a matter of seconds, the very familiar voice came:
“Femi, how are you?” (He calls me Adesina most times, but today, he opted for Femi)
I screamed :”Mr President, I have missed you. How are you sir?”
He first laughed. That familiar laugh. Then he said: “I am still resting. Thank you for holding out against mischief makers.”
I said it was my duty, the very least I could do, adding how happy I was to speak with him.
“How is your family?”
I said we were fine, and he asked me to extend his greetings to them.
“I hope to call you again, ” Mr President said, and I bade him farewell, adding: “Best wishes, sir.”
It was a defining moment for me. For more than a month, I had always spoken with aides who are with the President in London. Not once did I ask them to take the phone to him, deliberately so, because I didn’t need to speak with him to validate the fact that he was alive. And since he was on vacation, he had a right to his privacy.
Of his own volition, President Buhari spoke with me. It made my day. Even if he hadn’t done so, he would have remained my President, my leader, and my man. Any day. -
Why no date for Buhari’s return- Adesina
Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President has said the period of extension of President Muhammadu Buhari’s vacation in London was not specified because ““there is no vacuum in government’’.
Adesina, who stated this in an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Sunday night, said the time was not stated so as enable the president to get clean bill of health from his doctors.
He said the president has already transmitted power to the Vice-President who had been performing his constitutional duties as acting president.
According to Adesina, with the extension of his vacation, President Buhari now has adequate time to rest before he returns home.
“”When he was leaving on Jan. 19 we announced that it was a vacation during which he would also do routine medical check-ups.
“”Now, those check-ups have thrown up things that need to be further looked at and that is why he is asking for this extension of the vacation.
““The time is not stated and that reason is not far to seek because Mr President transmitted power to his vice, who is now the acting President.
“”So, he does not need to be under that pressure of time again because there is no vacuum in government, there is an acting president.
“”Therefore, the doctors can now exhaustively look at him and give him a clean bill of health before he returns home,’’ he said.
On those spreading dangerous rumours on the president’s health conditions, the presidential aide urged them to desist from such ungodly acts.
He charged them to always pray for the good health of the president and have goodwill toward their fellow human beings.
“”My message will be what I also said before, goodwill, let us have goodwill towards our president.
“”We as human beings must have goodwill towards one another. Any man can be sick; any man can get well; any man can even die, we are mortals. Anybody can die; anybody falls sick can also get well.
“”Therefore, all those who peddle those evil, mischievous, malicious and malevolent rumours on social media need to have a rethink. Instead of all those evil wishes they should have goodwill towards the president,’’ he added.
Adesina in an earlier statement disclosed that President Buhari had written the National Assembly, informing it of his desire to extend his leave in order to complete and receive the results of a series of tests recommended by his doctors.
“The President had planned to return to Abuja this evening, but was advised to complete the test cycle before returning. The notice has since been dispatched to the Senate President, and Speaker, House of Representatives.
“Mr. President expresses his sincere gratitude to Nigerians for their concern, prayers and kind wishes,” a statement earlier issued by Adesina on Sunday said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari left Abuja for the United Kingdom on Jan. 19 on a short leave, which is part of his annual vacation.
The President formally handed over mantle of leadership of the country to his Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.(NAN)
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Buhari, Adesina, others for confab
President Muhammadu Buhari, African Develop-ment Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina, and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Acting Secretary Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, are among dignitaries expected at this year’s agric forum to address the sector’s transformation.
Other dignitaries for the event slated for Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, between December 5 and 7, are UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye and 2007 Nobel Laureate in Economics Prof Eric Maskin.
The forum is being promoted by AfDB, the ECA and the UNDP as a long-term strategy to achieving food security in Africa.
A statement from UNDPNigeria said the partnering organisations were interested in leveraging agro-industrialisation for feeding Africa and promoting inclusive growth.
According to the statement, the conference will provide critical thinking on how policy-makers, development partners, the private sector, civil society organisations and the academia should support the planning and implementation of industrialisation strategies.
A special event of the conference is the launch of UNDP’s Africa Human Development Report 2016 (“Accelerating Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa”) to be officiated by Ministers of Budget and Planning, and Women Affairs with UNDP’s Regional Director for Africa.
Two other special events – launch of Economic Report on Africa and a discussion on Youth Agri-preneurship’s Aspirations and Challenges – will hold on Tuesday, December 6.
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Adesina delivers Island Club’s lecture today
THE Island Club, Lagos will hold its Third Public Interest Lecture today, at 1pm in the club’s premises.
The topic for this quarter is The 2nd Buhari Administration: One Year After, The Economy and The Polity.
Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian Mr. Debo Adesina is the guest speaker.
The lecture is a major plank in the current efforts by the new leadership under Mr. Oladipo Okpeseyi, SAN to reinvent the Island Club in line with the vision of its founding fathers as a respected force for nurturing the conduct of public affairs by providing a platform to influence the direction of public life and public policies.
The first of these lectures was held in September 2015. The theme was: ‘Nigeria’s war on terror’ and the guest speaker was Major General Adewunmi Ajibade (rtd). Professor Itse Sagay, law scholar and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council Against Corruption delivered the second lecture with the theme: ‘Confronting the corruption scourge’ in March 2016.
Also at the event, Mr. Bismack Rewane, a finance expert, will examine the state of the economy
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Ministerial nominees: Only Buhari can give inauguration date, says Adesina
• Gowon: Nigerians must deal with security challenges
Only President Muhammadu Buhari can say when the new ministers will be inaugurated, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said yesterday.
Adesina who spoke at the 25th anniversary of the Scriptural Union of Nigeria, Abuja area and presentation of its book ‘Acts of the Pilgrims’, said:”after ministers have been screened, the next thing is inauguration ;so let us wait. It is only President Muhammadu Buhari who can give a specific date when the ministers will be inaugurated. He is the one that has the mandate and he is the one bringing the ministers to work with him. So we need to wait until he makes a pronouncement on the date he will be inaugurating them.”
Also speaking at the event, former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, urged Nigerians to unite and deal with the security challenges confronting the nation.
The elder statesman who is also the Chairman of Nigeria Prays urged the Scriptural Union to keep the flame burning, preserve their commitment to active teaching of God’s word, impact institutions, communities and churches.
Gowon who was represented by the National Secretary of Nigeria Prays, Evang. Austin Kemie, said: “this occasion must therefore compel us to reflect deeply on the state of our nation, particularly the issues relating to moral decadence, sexual perversions, restiveness, precarious security challenges and corruption.
“We must rise up to deal with various issues of moral burdens in our educational institutions and labour to arrest the tide through a massive prayer campaign and action.
“If we do not rise to bring our youths into the path of rectitude, then their future prospects will appear gloomy and therefore we cannot build a virile nation of trust, integrity and good governance.”
Among dignitaries present at the occasion was former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.
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Adesina, Ubani for NAJUC award
Former Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, Special Adviser to President Mohammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina and former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Onyekachi Ubani will on Thursday be honoured by the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC), Ikeja Branch.
According to a statement signed by NAJUC Chairman, Akinwale Akintunde and Chairman, NAJUC 2015 Annual Lecture Committee, Henry Ojelu, the three will be presented with outstanding leadership awards at this year’s NAJUC lecture taking place at the Osun Hall of the Airport Hotel, Ikeja.
The theme of the Lecture which will have Lagos State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade as Chief Host is: Effective Justice System as Panacea for Change.
Akin Oyebode, Professor of International Law, University of Lagos is the Keynote Speaker, while Chief Layi Babatunde (SAN) will chair the event.
The theme will be discussed by Mumuni Adetokunbo, Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project, SERAP; Joseph Otteh, Executive Director, Access to Justice, A.C.P David Ighodo, Force Compol Legal, Nigeria Police and Opeyemi Bamidele, a former member of the House of Representatives.