The Presidency has dispelled rumours in the
social media that the federal government was
importing poisonous rice.
Presidential spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, in a
statement on Wednesday, said the government
described attempts by unscrupulous individuals
on the social media linking the government and
Dangote Group with a plan to flood the country
with genetically modified rice as extremely
uncharitable.
He said the government warned purveyors of
such malicious information and those thinking of
embarking on the same route to have a rethink
and retrace their steps.
"In real terms, the federal government in 2014
signed a $1billion Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for investment in an
integrated rice project with Dangote Industries
Ltd. Further to this agreement, Dangote
Industries Limited this year cultivated over 8,000
hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa State, creating over
10,000 direct and indirect jobs for farmers who
are the major beneficiaries of the scheme.
"In consolidation of the rice project of the
federal government, the President Muhammadu
Buhari administration is also in partnership with
the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other
reputable companies to tap into the vast
potentials in the private sector and broaden the
economic base of the country," he said.
He said the gains of the diversification drive,
especially in the agriculture sector, were already
yielding dividends as shown by the recent
statistics in the sector as published by the
National Bureau of Statistics.
According to him, these engagements will
continue until the present administration has
laid a solid foundation for the economic
development of the nation.
He said it was therefore ridiculous that a
government that was wholly devoted to the
generation of employment for Nigerians,
especially through agriculture, would turn
around to get involved in an activity that would
reverse the gains of the same partnership. Source All African
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