President Olusegun Obasanjo has announced that government is poised to unravel the circumstances behind sectarian violence in some parts of the country.
“We have decided to leave no stone unturned to ensure that we sustain peace throughout the country. We will go through an extra mile, so that this is achieved. We will find out what are the remote and immediate causes of lack of peace within any community or any part of the country. And we will try to rectify what is amiss.”
President Obasanjo who spoke in Bauchi during a working visit, reaffirmed his commitment to forge ahead with reform programmes, despite oppositions saying that “it is normal. But, when you’re preparing food, the pot will be heated, even the cook will be. But when the food ingredients and condiments are put, and is nice and cool, it becomes everybody’s delight. We’re in the preparation stage of the soup for Nigeria. And it will cause us some temporary anxiety; temporary hardship. It is temporary, and when the results start coming, we will all rejoice.”
The president explained that despite effort to have agriculture as a substitute to oil as a main stay of the economy, the agricultural sector has been dwindling.
President Obasanjo declared at the Emir of Bauchi’s palace that; “We are a little uncomfortable with agricultural situation. Even though the governor has told me that in the northern part of the state, there may be crop failure. We are truly perturbed.”
However, the President explained that “if only that happens, all we need to do is transfer crops from where we have surplus and from where we have strategic reserves to those areas.”
However, the President remarked that agriculture has attracted criticisms, with Dr. Ahmed Lawan, chairman House of Representative Committee on Agriculture, revealing that the committee is going to adjust the 1.7 per cent allocation to the sector in the 2005 national budget.
According to Dr. Lawan, agriculture is one sector that deserves serious attention and by allocating 1.7 per cent to the sector in next year’s budget, is not aimed at meeting with the reality, stressing that “we are going to do something about it. Agriculture needs to be given due attention and allocating 1.7 per cent will not meet the desired goals.”
Dr. Lawan added that, “we must be practical and pragmatic in the allocation of funds. We need to give more funds to agric because majority of the people are farmers and definitely, the House Committee is going to do something about it.”
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