By Stella Odueme
Abuja
L-R, The Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari receiving Hand Over Note from the Permanent Secretary, FMAFS, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, during the Assumption of Duty of the Hon. Ministers.
Newly appointed Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, and his counterpart, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security, resumed duty on Monday and promised to work tiredlessly to attain food security in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu had sworn in the ministers on Monday.
Kyari assured that aside food security, Nigeria would be repositioned as agricultural produce exporting nation.
“Our target is not only to secure and feed the country but also to export food, we have the potential and is there, ready to be tapped.
“I will not bore you with long speech, I am ready and willing to serve this nation. We all know the challenges we face now. Nigerians are hungry. We have th challenges of insecurity and flooding,” he stated while addressing officials of the ministry.
On his part, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security, who acknowledged the challenges in the agric sector expressed hope that with the support of the management, staff and other stakeholders they would be overcome.
The Governor of Borno State, Dr. Babagana Zulum, who accompanied the new ministers, urged them to tackle food insecurity in the country.
He urged the two ministers to put heads together to ensure that Nigeria is food secured not only in terms of quantity but also in quality.
According to him, the current palliatives being offered by government cannot address teething challenges facing Nigerians, as they are short-term measures.
He canvassed for long-term solutions to the myriads of challenges facing the country through the deployment of technology, irrigated, commercial as well as modern agriculture.
Highlight of the event was the handing over of the ministry’s documents by the Permanent Secretary, FMAFS, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe to Sen. Kyari.
