Farmers under the aegis of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), South South chapter, have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for reappointing Godwin Emefiele as the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) saying the appointment was a reaffirmation of Buhari’s commitment to boosting the economy of Nigeria.
Eugene Jacob, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), AFAN (South South), in a statement made available to BusinessDay in Warri, said that Emefiele’s progress in ensuring food security in the country during his first tenure has created a lot of jobs for millions of Nigerians.
The farmers said Emefiele’s reappointment is also a recognition of his role in dealing with the issues of population explosion, unemployment and food security, adding that trillion of naira has been saved from importation of rice and other food commodities through the commitment of Emefiele’s team.
The farmers noted that the reduction of importation of rice and other commodities into the country has created a lot of job opportunities in the agricultural sector for the teeming unemployed youths in the country.
“The importance of agriculture cannot be overemphasized because of the effect it has on Nigeria’s economy, population, creation of jobs and wealth and also the diversification of the economy from oil.
“Mr Godwin Emefiele took agriculture to greater heights and reduced the importation of agricultural commodities by financing the agricultural sector through commercial banks.
“This has reduced the level of poverty among small-scale farmers, and has assisted rural small-scale farmers to grow.
“The establishment of Anchor Borrowers Programme, help to stop the importation of commodities and created the needed employment in all the states of the federation. CBN has been agricultural friendly since the Emefiele’s tenure,” Jacob said.
The CBN in line with its developmental functions, established the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) which was launched by Buhari in Nov. 2015.
The programme which had benefitted millions of farmers was aimed at creating a linkage between anchor companies involved in processing and small holder farmers of key agricultural commodities.
Its thrust was the provision of farm inputs in kind and cash to small holder farmers to boost production, stabilise inputs supply to agro-processors and address the country’s negative balance on food prices.
