FG Moves To Tackle Food Importation

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the era of Nigeria importing rice, fertilizer and other crops into the country would soon come to an end so long as the government supports and encourages local production of goods and services.

The President who was speaking in Ibese in Abeokuta recently at the Commissioning of the 6 million metric tonnes cement factory plant built by the Dangote Groups aid “a few years to come we could be exporting rice, and that there was no justification for Nigeria to be importing rice.

The President said standards Organisation of Nigeria, (SON) would be strengthened so that Nigeria would cease to be a dumping ground for foreign good “we will strengthen SON to ensure that Nigeria is no longer a dumping ground for foreign goods. We must encourage local production and also increase the quality of goods produced in Nigeria”.

He said the countries investment policy were tied on the belief that manufacturing should form the major pillar of the current economic revolution stressing that industrilisation was one of the vehicles for achieving the vision 20:2020 target.

He expressed confidence on the concerted efforts of Stakeholders in the industrialisatin of the nation hailed the efforts of Dangote group in the area of checking unemployment in the country.

One the improvement of the rail system for effective monement of goods in the country, the President said it would reduce pressure on our roads, he noted that it was cheaper for transportation of goods.

On why he gave one of the highest honours to Alhaji Dangote, President Jonathan said that it was in the best interest of the country, realising the contributions of Dangote to employment drive of the nation, and enthused that the country needed more of Dangotes.