Buhari will leave Nigeria more prosperous, secure than he met it- Gambari
By Ukpono Ukpong
Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday, declared that President Buhari will leave Nigeria more united, prosperous and secure than he met it.
Gambari spoke on Buhari’s behalf during a working visit to inspect the level of work at the Agriculture Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) on Sunday in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital.
He said the Buhari-led administration is committed to the development of agriculture to raise agriculture production and its value chain, to ensure food sufficiency in the country and exportation of agricultural products.
He said steps had been taken to realise the increase in agriculture production as one of the key priorities to transform the sector from subsistence to a very sophisticated machine-driven.
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Gambari said this would bring about food sufficiency and food security in the country and enable the exportation of agricultural products, DailyTimesNGR gathered.
He commended the leadership of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for the commitment and progress made on the project.
“President has asked me to come here to inspect and see the tremendous physical development that is taking place in NASENI, particularly one of the six Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institutes.
“President Buhari regards agriculture as something very close to his heart because he believes that the time has come when we must produce what to eat and to eat what we produced and to ensure food sufficiency and food security.
“He is very proud to be associated with this state, he is very proud of the significant development that has taken place in this state, God willing by the time of the end of his administration, he will leave Nigeria more united, prosperous and secured than he found it,” he said.
Earlier, Executive vice-chairman of NASENI, Mohammed Haruna, said the institute was one of the six approved by the president in 2021 to guarantee food security and apply modern tools and equipment for mechanised agriculture.
He added the establishment of the institute would guarantee technology for food processing, food preservation and application of food availability and artificial intelligence for efficient and multi-crop seasons.
Haruna said NASENI is collaborating with partners from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Czech Republic and Italy to equip the institute and five others with state-of-the-earth research and manufacturing facilities, targeting the best and the highest technology in the world.
“Science, technology and innovation have always been the source of development and prosperity of all nations.
“The yardstick of measuring the willingness and readiness of Nigeria to transit from a community-based economy to a manufacturing economy is the degree to which NASENI’s role is applied to all aspects of our socio-economic endeavour,” Haruna said.
In a related development, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has said with Nigeria projected to be the third most populated nation in the world after India and China by 2050, the country deserves a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.
Addressing members of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI) on a learning visit to the State House at the weekend, Gambari said Nigeria cannot be ignored in international affairs, considering its contributions to international peacekeeping and economic potential.
The Chief of Staff also declared that President Buhari will be remembered for leaving a legacy of free and fair elections as well as massive investments in infrastructure across the country.
He said the President has laid a solid foundation for youth empowerment.
On Nigeria’s quest for the expansion of the 15-member Security Council, Gambari, who has served as Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Permanent Representative to the UN in New York and first Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General on Africa (1999-2005), told the young people on excursion to the State House:
”I think you are fortunate to be born a Nigerian. By the year 2050, according to UN statistics, Nigeria will be the third most populous country in the world after India and China.
”A country that is the third most populated in the world must remain united, strong and prosperous and cannot be ignored in international affairs.
”If you are the third most populous country in the world then the campaign for a permanent seat in the United National Security Council is one that we will find enormous support because you cannot ignore its people and potentials.”
On the legacies of President Buhari, particularly his respect for the constitutional term limit, Gambari said:
”Mr. President will be remembered for his commitment to free and fair elections in this country. He has said it many times that Nigerians must be respected, their votes must count and he is committed to leaving by the time the administration comes to an end on May 29, 2023.”
The Chief of Staff added that President Buhari has led by example on probity and accountability in governance, stressing that the nation will also remember him for that.
”When people talk about the legacies President Buhari is leaving behind, it is important to mention the infrastructure legacy- the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the Abuja-Kano expressway, the network of roads and railways across the country, the ports and the power sector.
”It is important to emphasize power, because without it and infrastructure the full stature of a nation cannot be realized.”
On the President’s commitment to youth development, Gambari noted that the recently signed Startup Act 2022 has the youth as major beneficiary, as it recognizes the creativity of youths and seeks to empower them as productive entrepreneurs.
He described the projected contribution of the Act to the national economy as tremendous, citing successes recorded in Morocco, Tunisia and India.
Gambari commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Founder of LMI, Femi Gbajabiamilla, for making an impact in the lives of young people through training and mentoring the next generation of legislators and ethical public sector leaders.
He urged the LMI fellows to maintain close contacts with each other, remain focused and united in order to overcome the challenges facing the nation.
”People refer to you as leaders of tomorrow. I think it is a misnomer. You are already leaders of today because Nigeria depends on what you do and the part you have taken.
”You are Fellows-in-Training that are already leaders of today because you have been selected from over millions of other possibilities shows that you are already making a mark.
”Do not be intimidated by titles like ‘Chief of Staff’, because we all started from somewhere,” Gambari told the LMI programme fellows, recounting his humble beginnings from a ‘village primary school’ in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Welcoming the Fellows-in-Training to State House, the Permanent Secretary, Tijjani Umar, engaged them on the history, role and priorities of State House in providing top notch services to the President and Vice President towards the effective discharge of their responsibilities to Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretary also explained the functions of the Principal Officers to the President and the Vice President.
Umar expressed the willingness of the top management of State House to support the process of building a new generation of public sector leaders.
Mr Dapo Oyewole, Director LMI, who represented the Speaker, commended the Chief of Staff and the Permanent Secretary for hosting the LMI Fellows-in-Training.
”By opening the doors of State House and allowing the Fellows-in-Training to come in on the last day of their intensive training, opens a massive door of possibilities and opportunities to them,” he said.
