A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Davidson Akinlayo Kolawole, representing the Ekiti North 11 Federal Constituency has felicitated with Nigerians on the occasion of the 64th Independence Day celebration.

The legislator, in his message, called on Nigerians to continually pray for the prosperity of Nigeria and her leaders.

He admonished Nigerians to see themselves as one indivisible entity whose major preoccupation should be to preserve and jealously guide national unity, because only then will the nation flourish.

“That Nigerians are going through tough times is palpable and unarguable, but the only consolation is that the pains will later pay off and turn to gain.

“In all honesty, I cherish the resilient spirit of Nigerians who have always persevered in the face of the economic hardship. With the passage of time, everything will fizzle out and the Egyptians we see today, we shall see no more.

“Upon the maturity of President Tinubu people’s oriented policies, Nigerians shall once again exult, as it takes confidence and love on the part of President Tinubu to have taken such bold steps in an attempt to return Nigeria to the path of prosperity where there will be no disparity between the haves and have-nots.

“For us to preserve our identity which is Nigeria, we have got to see the good in the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Before his assumption of office, there were administrative baggages coupled with the removal of fuel subsidy which was in the best interest of the masses.

“Realising this, the government rolled up its sleeves by putting in place some social safety nets and policies to assuage and allay the suffering of the masses. Without sounding immodest, the President Tinubu’s administration has actually tried for the have-nots and the most vulnerable by giving out palliatives and Conditional Cash Transfer to struggling homes.

“As a way of ensuring food security and the soaring cost of food prices, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security and renamed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; and his administration has also launched the National Agricultural Development Fund with N100 billion to address agricultural financing challenges.

“Again, 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains, including sorghum, millet, maize from the National Strategic Grain Reserves and 60,000 metric tonnes of rice through millers were released to vulnerable Nigerians through the 36 state governors and the FCT, in an attempt to stabilise food supply.
The Central Bank of Nigeria also donated 2.15 million bags of fertiliser worth N100 billion to support farming.

“President Tinubu’s administration has also introduced the Dry Season Farming Initiative on 500,000 hectares of farmland, financed by the African Development Bank with $134 million to promote year-round farming. Partnerships with John Deere aim to supply 2,000 tractors annually for five years under a unique financing arrangement supported by low-interest loans from the Bank of Agriculture.

“The Green Imperative Programme, a $1 billion bilateral partnership with the Brazilian Government, aims to provide farmers access to machines, equipment, and training.

“The Bank of Agriculture will support Nigerian farmers with low-interest loans to purchase fertilisers. Additionally, there is a N141 billion credit facility from a Japanese agency for agricultural scheme projects.”

Akinlayo, in his message, also called for prayers for Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who he described as a wonder-working governor.

He enjoined every Ekiti citizen to cooperate with him for meaningful development to be achieved.