November 15, 2017

Some residents of Abakaliki on Wednesday showered encomiums on President Muhammadu Buhari because of his agricultural initiative, describing it as pragmatic and purposeful.

The residents expressed their viewpoints in separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki, just as the president started his two-day official visit to Ebonyi on Tuesday.

They said that the president’s aggressive agricultural policy was capable of fast-tracking the growth of the nation’s economy.

Mr Chima Iduma, the Chairman of Afikpo North Local Government Council, however, said that the president’s visit to the state was symbolic.

“President Buhari’s visit is a symbolic one, irrespective of his political party (APC); he will also inaugurate new projects in the state,’’ he said.

Mr Emmanuel Emerugini, an Abakaliki-based industrialist, particularly commended the president for his agricultural programme which, he said, had been yielding good results at the grassroots level.

Emerugini, who is the owner of Ultimate Golden Star Bakery, said that Buhari’s visit would counteract the negative notions and perceptions of some citizens that the South East geopolitical zone had been marginalised by the Buhari-administration.

“The president is for all Nigerians; his agricultural initiative has recorded some feats at the grassroots; we want more programmes like that,” he said.

Besides, Mr Sylvester Okeh, a community leader, commended Buhari’s efforts to revamp the agricultural sector.

“Our president has been able to combat hunger in the society; judging from his zeal to transform the agricultural sector, famine will soon become a thing of the past in our country,’’ he said.

Mr Sunday Uguru, a civil servant, commended the President’s efforts to provide employment for the people, saying that many youths, who were hitherto jobless, had been engaged through the N-Power project and other programmes.

Mr Anthony Onwuegbulam, another civil servant, however, urged the Federal Government to make efforts to provide employment for more people so as to reduce crime in the society.

He said that the government could engage more people by initiating more infrastructural projects and establishing more industries

“We need more life-touching projects to boost the people’s living standards, while reducing crime and other illegal activities in our country,’’ he said.