President Muhammadu Buhari has restated the determination of his administration to create a just, harmonious and prosperous country in which the safety of life and property is assured.
In his goodwill message to Nigerians on the celebration of the Eid-el-Kabir, Buhari noted that COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the economies of all countries, including Nigeria, in addition to the fact that floods have caused large scale destruction to agricultural farmlands.
This, he noted, has negatively impacted his administration’s efforts to boost local production in line with its policy to drastically reduce food importation; and has inexorably led to food inflation, which he said his government is working hard to address.
“Apart from the destruction caused to rice farms by floods, middlemen have also taken advantage of the local rice production to exploit fellow Nigerians, thereby undermining our goal of supporting local food production at affordable prices,” he said in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity), Garba Shehu.
But he assured Nigerians that his government is continuing with measures to bring relief, including making fertilizer available at affordable prices to farmers.
He also noted that the current insecurity in the country “has produced severe and adverse effects on agriculture because farmers are prevented from accessing their farms by bandits and terrorists.”
This he also said his administration is taking measures to address.
“We have started taking delivery of fighter aircraft and other necessary military equipment and hardware to improve the capacity of our security forces to confront terrorism and banditry,” he added.
While congratulating Nigerians on the celebration of the Eid-el-Kabir, Buhari appealed to Muslims to demonstrate the good virtues of Islam through personal examples and practices.
“Taking advantage of the celebration to exploit fellow citizens through outrageous prices of food and rams is inconsistent with the fine virtues of Islam.
“As practising believers, we shouldn’t seek obscene profits by making life difficult and miserable for others. We should not seek happiness at the expense of others. Remember that Islam is a religion of charity that urges us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves,” he said.
He urged all Muslims to continue to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians of other faiths in the spirit of peaceful coexistence, and pray for the progress of Nigeria at all times.