Categories: BusinessLocal

Kebbi Flood: Buhari Laments Loss Of Lives, Over N1bn By Rice Farmers

A file photo of President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

President Muhammadu Buhari is concerned over the flood that claimed a number of lives in Kebbi State, north-west Nigeria.

The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed his principal’s worry in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the flood also submerged thousands of hectares of farmlands and houses, as well as destroyed farm produce and personal belongings in the affected communities.

“With the loss of six lives and still counting, thousands of hectares of land flooded and estimated economic losses of more than one billion naira by rice farmers in Kebbi State, we face a major setback in our efforts to boost local food production,” the President lamented.

He added, “I am particularly sad over this incident because it’s a setback to our efforts to boost local rice production as part of measures to stop food importation.”

A map of Kebbi, a state in north-west Nigeria.

 

President Buhari described Kebbi as the focal point of the Federal Government’s policy to produce rice locally.

He explained that this was part of his administration’s commitment to agricultural revival which he said suffered relative neglect in favour of food importation.

“This bad news couldn’t have come at a worse time for our farmers and other Nigerians who looked forward to a bumper harvest this year in order to reduce the current astronomical rise in the costs of food items in the markets,” the President noted.

He sympathised with those who lost their loved ones to the incident and the farmers affected by the devastating floods.

President Buhari assured them that the Federal Government would work closely with the Kebbi State government in order to bring relief to the victims.

Akinola Ajibola

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Akinola Ajibola

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