Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, has disclosed the number of jobs generated by the current administration in the agricultural sector.
According to Shehu, the Buhari-led government has successfully created a staggering 12 million new jobs in agriculture alone.
This revelation came to light during an exclusive interview with Shehu on Channels TV's Sunrise Daily. Shehu expressed the administration's commendable performance across various sectors, including security, power, and the fight against corruption.
Shehu further highlighted the remarkable strides made in the agricultural industry, stating, "In agriculture alone, the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) is talking about 12 million new jobs. Look at what we did in agriculture. This administration inherited just four functional fertiliser processing companies, and we now have 52 fully operational companies."
He continued to explain how this significant increase in fertiliser production has positively impacted the country's rice farmers, leading to a surge in domestic rice production. As a result, Nigeria has achieved food sufficiency and diversified its economy, moving away from dependence on a single sector.
Shehu emphasised the economic benefits of these achievements, saying, "This country used to spend $5 billion every day on importing foreign rice before this administration. However, today, not a single US Dollar leaves the Central Bank of Nigeria for foreign rice."