GOVERNOR of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, yesterday, kept mum as farmers across the country bought the N100m presidential nomination and expression of interest forms of the All Progressives Congress, APC for him.
Operating under the banner of a coalition of commodity associations in Nigeria, the farmers took the decision of purchasing the forms for Emefiele on Wednesday on Wednesday at the end of a two-day intensive meeting in Maitama, Abuja, that drew more than 30 commodity associations from 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
They said the decision was reached having realized that the CBN governor is one of the trusted and tested Nigerians that have the commitment and competence to protect the interests of farmers across the country and give priority to the commodity and agricultural value chain.
One of the conveners of the meeting, Malam Ibrahim Garba said that the meeting was convened to articulate the position of the commodity associations who are the biggest stakeholders in the country ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He said the robust national security the country needs now can only be achieved through food security. “Agriculture is the key to achieving national security. Through agriculture, millions of Nigerians are economically empowered and gainfully engaged, our industries are revived, a multifaceted value chain ecosystem created, and food security is ensured,” he said.
The commodity associations leaders said in the last seven years, Nigeria has carved a niche for itself as a country that has achieved self-sufficiency in food production.”
One of the farmers’ leaders from the South-East, Chief Madu Ndubuisi, said, the farmers want to sustain this unprecedented agricultural feat hence their support for Emefiele who is the driver of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s agricultural revolution.
It was gathered that the farmers have divided themselves into six zones, with each zone raising at least N20 million. “We have decided that every farmer in the country would donate a minimum of N200 for this cause. We have set the ball rolling. We are not leaving any stone unturned,” Alhaji Mudi Ila, another commodity association leader from Jigawa State, said.
Efforts as of press time to get Emefiele, who had been under pressure to join the presidential race, did not yield results.
Meanwhile, the race for the APC presidential ticket got keener, yesterday, as more aspirants picked the party’s forms just as the ruling party realised N7.2 billion from selling the forms so far.
