TheCable

Vice-President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Tinubu is devoted to stimulating the country’s economy despite challenges.

Speaking when he hosted a consortium of mid-sized agriculture companies at the presidential villa on Friday, Shettima said leadership is about challenges and he and Tinubu are mindful of them.

The vice-president said the federal government is seeking partnership with the private sector to “dramatically” change the country’s economic landscape.

“My boss is very much devoted to stimulating growth in the Nigerian economy, regardless of the challenges,” Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima’s spokesperson, quoted him as saying in a statement.

“Leadership is actually about challenges and we are mindful of them. We want collaboration from the private sector to turn agriculture into a business and dramatically change our economic landscape.

“We (as a nation) are one of the resource-endowed countries in the world and have no business being poor.”

On his part, Akinyinka Akintunde, leader of the consortium, said they are proposing a plan that would support two million farmers across four value chains (rice, maize, sorghum and soybeans).

Akintunde said the aim is to enhance sustainable agriculture and ensure the success of the food security drive of the government.

He said his group would support the government’s programmes and policies in the agricultural sector.