Business
‘Grassroots Security Key To Agricultural Growth’
L-R: Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development Kaduna State, Hajiya Rabi Abdulsalam, Executive Secretary, Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency, Dr Gambo Hamza and Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Tourism Kaduna State, Alhaji Shehu Balarbe, at a news conference on Economic and Investment Summit in Kaduna, recently.
Improved peace and
security situation at the grassroot levels in the country has been viewed as being of vital importance in the success of the Federal Government’s economic diversification from oil to agriculture.
A Port Harcourt-based businessman, Mr Emma Amaechi, made the observation in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt.
Amaechi, who is the Managing Director of Ibekalam Nigeria Limited, said, “one who needs to embark on large-scale agriculture will need cheap land and it is only at the grassroots you can get such vast land.
“But in most grassroots areas across the country, the security situations need to be improved upon to make such heavy investment viable because if the security is bad, it would scare people from doing that”.
Amaechi viewed diversification into agriculture as the best option available to Nigeria with or without oil because of the huge employment opportunities it creates for all levels of people.
“Agriculture can have an opportunity for you whether you have your PhD or even when you could not go to school at all. It is one sector that opens its windows to the greatest number of people in the society”, he said.
The entrepreneur further stated that if desired attention is given to the agricultural sector, there would be enough food for local consumption and export, adding that it was unfortunate that oil diverted the people’s attention away from other viable sectors.
“The steady fall in oil price has impacted negatively on the economy of the country but has also opened our eyes to things we must do right. Agriculture is the way because we have all it takes to turn the attention of the world in terms of agriculture”, he stated.
Chris Oluoh
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.
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