Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday, flagged off the $500 million Niger Delta Agricultural Investment Fund, aimed at boosting food production and cutting reliance on crude oil and natural gas as main source of revenue.
The move have been described as laudable development for a nation whose foundation was built on agrarian economy and whose soil paid its bills before the discovery of oil.
Shettima, while speaking at the event, observed that Nigeria cannot afford to take the promise of an agricultural boom for granted, noting that while nations survive on many resources, they endure because they can feed themselves.
The multi billion naira program was unveiled on Wednesday, at the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Summit jointly convened by the Office of the Vice President and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, office of the Vice President, said Shettima also described the event as “not only the foundation of civilisation but also the first guarantee of political stability”
