Buhari’s campaign fund swells with over N1.77b

The reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari got a boost on Wednesday night as beneficiaries of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) donated N1.77 billion to the campaign funds.

The ABP beneficiaries are mainly farmers and others in the agricultural value chain.

They made the donations on during the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme Gala Night at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to them, the President has changed the fortunes of the agriculture sector, to which they said was revolutionised by the novel programme.

Apart from the increasing progress in the sector, they also claimed that the President’s policies have resulted in savings of billions of naira.

Topmost of the donations to the President’s campaign fund was N1.2 billion announced by the President of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Aminu Goroyo and N570 million, announced by the Fertilizers Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN).

Stressing that the introduction of the ABP has turned around the fortunes of the 12.2 million registered members of the association, Goroyo said that the members contributed N100 each for the President’s campaign towards the 2019 presidential election.

According to him, more fertilizers were made available and easily to rice farmers in the last three years.

“All these achievements are from your commitments and favorable policies to agriculture,” Goroyo told the President.

FEPSAN President Thomas Etuh disclosed that N120 billion was saved in two years from fertilizer subsidy.

Thanking the donors, President Buhari noted that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports have confirmed the dividends of his administration’s policies in the agriculture sector.

According to him, his administration inherited a broken system in the agricultural sector in 2015.

He said: “Seeing your faces and hearing your stories gives me hope…..Today, we are on track to achieving inclusive economy.”

The President also directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to commence the restocking of all its Strategic Grains Reserves nationwide

He said the directive had become imperative following the completion of a comprehensive survey on damages done to farmers and fishing communities in the riverine areas as a result of flood disaster.

President Buhari said the report indicated that over 160,000 farmers and additional 70,000 fishermen were affected by the disaster.

“For about three months, the National Food Security Council, working with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), conducted a comprehensive survey of the farmers, fishermen and livestock owners affected by the flood disaster,’’ he said.

Buhari, who was honoured with an award of excellence for his administration’s favorable policy that had impacted positively on the agricultural sector, pledged that all the affected persons would be compensated to cushion their hardship.

He assured that the Federal Government would continue to implement policies and programmes to lift the farmers’ standard of living as well as boost food sufficiency.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CNB) Governor, Godwin Emefuele, said that the ABP launched on the 17th of November, 2015, has resulted in the savings of $800 million.

Noting that the import bills before the introduction of the programme was as high as N1.4 trillion annually, he said that the ABP has been creating jobs and wealth for the teeming population.

He said that 2.5 million jobs from rice farming have been created.

According to him, the ABP remained the most successful of such programmes in Africa.

Emefiele said: “It has raised the standard of our farmers.” Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbe declared: “It has moved Nigeria up the ladder of Rice producers in Africa.”

Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu, who is the Vice Chairman of the National Food Security Council, said the President has shown unprecedented commitments to agriculture development in the country.

He thanked the President for setting up the National Food Security Council.

According to him, “Nigeria is on the path of taking on the world.”

Dignitaries at the gala night included: All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).

Others were: APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha and the President’s Chief of Staff Abba Kyari, among top government officials.