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By Nasir Kura
The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) and the Fertilizers Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) have donated N1.77 billion to fund the re-election campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
The associations announced this at a Gala Night organised by beneficiaries of the government’s Anchor Borrowers Programme held at the State House in Abuja.
President of RIFAN, Mr. Aminu Goronyo, said the 12.2 million registered members of the association donated N100 each to the the President’s campaign, amounting to N1.2 billion.
President of FEPSAN, Mr. Thomas Etuh, the association has put together N570 million for the re-election of the President.
In his remarks, the President, who thanked the associations for the donations, said statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have confirmed that the administration’s policies are yielding results.
The President said said he inherited “a broken system in the agricultural sector in 2015,” adding that seeing the faces of farmers and hearing their stories give him hope that “today, we are on track to achieving an all inclusive economy.”
Also speaking, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said the Anchor Borrowers Programme launched on the November, 17, 2015 has resulted in the saving of $800 million.
He said import bills before the introduction of the programme was as high as N1.4 trillion annually, adding that the programme has created 2.5 million jobs from rice farming alone.
The CBN governor who described the programme as the most successful anchor programme in Africa, said it has raised the standard of our farmers. In no small measures.
“The programme is changing the narrative of agricultural investments in Nigeria. It has brought the era of food security and sustenance leading to a cut in forex being used for importation of rice and other food items into the country,” he said.