President Muhammadu Buhari Sunday called on Nigerian farmers to embark on massive agriculture activities this farming season to ensure food sufficiency in the country.
Speaking after after observing this year’s Eid-El-Fitr prayer with his close family members and a handful of presidential aides at the State House in Abuja, the president said engaging in massive agriculture activities was necessary because Nigeria has no money for food importation.
“I hope the raining season would be bountiful, so that we get a lot of food. I wish the farmers will go to farms and save the lives so that we can produce what we need in sufficient quantity so that we don’t have to import food. In any case, we don’t have any money to import food. So, we must produce what we are going to eat,” he said.
On the COVID-19 pandemic, the president stressed the need for Nigerians to strictly adhere to guidelines and measures put in place against the spread of the disease in the country.
He said the pandemic had reduced developed and developing nations to the same level, and advised Nigerians to always be careful to avoid infections.
“Nigerians can see that the COVID-19 has reduced us, both the developing and developed countries, to the same level. In fact, we have least casualties than they we have.
“So, it’s a very frightening development and I advised Nigerians to be very careful and take the advice of the Ministry of Health. Ministers of Health have been doing very well, speaking and educating the citizens on the deadly virus. So, Nigerians, we should be very careful,” he said.
The First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, who also observed the Eid prayer with the president, thanked almighty Allah for sparing the lives of Muslim ummah throughout the Ramadan period.
She appealed to Nigerian women to continue to be on the forefront of the fight against Coronavirus in the country, and prayed that Allah would forgive the sins of those who lost their lives as a result of the virus.
“We must thank the almighty Allah for the successful completion of the holy Month of Ramadan, despite the current difficult circumstances we found ourselves.
“I wish to thank the Federal Ministry of Health and also the NCDC for their efforts in combating the pandemic,’’ she said.
The president had on May 22 pledged to observe the Eid-El-Fitr prayers at home with his family as directed by the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III.
The president observed the Eid-El-Fitr prayer in line with the guidelines and protocols issued by the Presidential Task Force on the Control of COVID-19 and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
