The lawmaker representation Akwa Ibom North -West Senatorial District in the Senate, Senator Chris Ekpenyong,   has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for commissioning the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) Integrated Farm Estate.  

He also said the recent commissioning of the NALDA project should be replicated across states of the federation. 

Ekpenyong, a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State,  said this in a statement made available to Vanguard. 

He said:”I want to commend Mr President, President Mohammed Buhari for the initiative of establishing a farm estate across the 109 senatorial district across Nigeria and the subsequent commissioning of the one at Daura Katsina State, indeed if this initiative Can be carried out to the later across the senatorial districts the much talked about lifting 100 million Nigerians at of poverty will be realisable.

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“This project will not only make us self sufficient in food supply but will have a resultant effect of creating job opportunities for the growing youth population, Agriculture still remains the mainstay of our nations economy and the only sector that can provide massive job opportunity and lift people at of porverty, Mr president should as a matter of urgency set up a technical committee which will be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the actualisation of the vision across the 109 senatorial district that makes up the nation, so the project will not end up as one of those failed government initiative of the past

“This project will revamp youths’ interest in agriculture and is expected to scale up economic opportunities and income for millions of farmers in the state.

“This will enable farmers to get value for their products and the global economic trend warrants that we call on everybody to go back to farm.

President Buhari Can also direct  NALDA’s to revive all abandoned farm estates be retrieved to enable thousands of our young men and women to be engaged in farming.

“This administration can achieve agricultural mechanisation through this scheme and Nigeria can achieve food security in producing most of what we eat.

“I also use this opportunity to call on mr president to at the same time look into ways to revamp our various industries such as the moribund paper mills, this is another area that can provide enormous job opportunities and reduce the capital flight of importing papers into the country, currently statistics shows Nigeria spends about 1.1 trillion in the importation of paper in the country annually such huge funds can be channel into other sectors if we revamp the paper industries

“Mr.  President should also look at all the abandoned assembling plants as well as the Ajecuta steel rolling mill which has the capacity to produce steel for the expansion of rail lines. This is my food for thought. “