The President spoke on Thursday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while granting audience to the Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development, Dr Sid Ould Tah.
THEWILL recall that the President, while receiving an award from the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum on Tuesday, had said the work of the Arab Bank for Economic Development “is very critical, and, indeed, a major catalyst and tool for achieving our overall objective as leaders on the continent.”
Lauding the Bank for its investment in Nigeria, President Buhari pointed at strides in the agricultural sector regarding food security systems, capacity building, and integrated infrastructure projects.
He said the key focus of the current administration had been Security, Economy, and Anti-Corruption, noting that the three are critical “towards achieving our overall development objective not just as a country, but more importantly as a continent.”
President Buhari observed that the issues that affect one nation also affect others, and “this has been clearly demonstrated in our fight against the tyranny of terrorists that have spread across the entire West African sub-region, and beginning to emerge in our sister countries in some parts of East and Central Africa.”
Noting that focus on agriculture and infrastructure allowed Nigeria to be resilient during the last two global economic and public health crises, the President urged the Arab Bank for Economic Development to review the amount of capital it can inject into various economies, “as this would lead to greater impact as we stare at the various issues that would confront our economies.”
A statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, who had interfaced with the Bank at its Headquarters, thanked the President for ensuring improvement of security in the North East, “as we now get grants for livestock farming, gum Arabic production, infrastructure, and I believe Nigeria will still have more opportunities from the Arab Bank for Economic Development.”
Dr Ould Tah congratulated President Buhari on his award, adding that it was a testimony to his efforts in promoting peace in Nigeria and Africa.
