Gambari: Buhari will leave Nigeria more prosperous, secured than he met it

Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, says his principal will leave Nigeria more united, prosperous and secure than he met it.

Gambari spoke on Buhari’s behalf during a working visit to inspect the level of work at the Agriculture Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) on Sunday in Lafia, Nasarawa state capital.

He said the Buhari-led administration is committed to the development of agriculture to raise agriculture production and its value chain, to ensure food sufficiency in the country and exportation of agricultural products.

He said steps had been taken to realise the increase in agriculture production as one of the key priorities to transform the sector from subsistence to a very sophisticated machine-driven.

He said this would bring about food sufficiency and food security in the country and enable the exportation of agricultural products.

He commended the leadership of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for the commitment and progress made on the project.

“President has asked me to come here to inspect and see the tremendous physical development that is taking place in NASENI, particularly one of the six Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institutes,” he said.

“President Buhari regards agriculture as something very close to his heart because he believes that the time has come when we must produce what to eat and to eat what we produced and to ensure food sufficiency and food security.

“He is very proud to be associated with this state, he is very proud of the significant development that has taken place in this state, God willing by the time of the end of his administration, he will leave Nigeria more united, prosperous and secured than he found it.”

Earlier, Mohammed Haruna, executive vice-chairman of NASENI, said the institute was one of the six approved by the president in 2021 to guarantee food security and apply modern tools and equipment for mechanised agriculture.

He added the establishment of the institute would guarantee technology for food processing, food preservation and application of food availability and artificial intelligence for efficient and multi-crop seasons.

Haruna said NASENI is collaborating with partners from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Czech Republic and Italy to equip the institute and five others with state-of-the-earth research and manufacturing facilities, targeting the best and the highest technology in the world.

“Science, technology and innovation have always been the source of development and prosperity of all nations,” Haruna said.

“The yardstick of measuring the willingness and readiness of Nigeria to transit from a community-based economy to a manufacturing economy is the degree to which NASENI’s role is applied to all aspects of our socio-economic endeavour.”