CY: NO CENT SHOULD GO INTO FOOD IMPORT, PRESIDENT

 President Muhammadu business Buhari has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, not to provide foreign exchange for food importation.

This was made known in a statem find ent issued on Tuesday by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.

According to him, the directive is to ensure the continuous improvement in agricultural production, to encourage farmers and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign food.

“Don’t give a cent to anybody to import food into the country,’’ the president was quoted as saying.

“We have achieved food security, house and for physical security we are not doing badly,’’ he said.

Read the full statement below:

FOOD SUFFICIENCY: NO CENT SHOULD GO INTO FOOD IMPORT, PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS CBN

President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Daura, Katsina State, disclosed that he has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop providing foreign exchange for importation of food into the country, with the steady improvement in agricultural production, and attainment of full food security.

The President, who hosted All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to Eid-el-Kabir lunch at his country home in Daura, said the foreign reserve will be conserved and utilized strictly for diversification of the economy, and not for encouraging more dependence on foreign food import bills.

“Don’t give a cent to anybody to import food into the country,’’ he said.

President noted that some states like Kebbi, Ogun, Lagos, Jigawa, Ebonyi and Kano had already taken advantage of the Federal Government’s policy on agriculture with huge returns in rice farming, urging more states to plug into the ongoing revolution to feed the nation.

“We have achieved food security, and for physical security we are not doing badly,’’he said.

President Buhari said he was particularly delighted that young Nigerians, including graduates, had started exploring agric-business and entrepreneurship, with many posting testimonies of good returns on their investments.

President Buhari said the incoming ministers will be “taught’’ and thoroughly guided to ensure they meet the targets of the APC-led government for the people, with regular monitoring of their performances and scaling up of targets by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

The President assured that he will attend the Presidential Policy Retreat organized for the ministers by the OSFG, and insisted on compliance with laid down targets on key sectors of the economy that will directly impact on the livelihood of Nigerians.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, John Kayode Fayemi, said the President’s sense of justice, fairness and forthrightness had turned a major inspiration to governors on the way forward for the