- Alhaji Lai Mohammed is insisting that he was correct when he stated that under the Buhari administration, 12 millions farmers have found employment
- The minister stated that the current administration had met six farmers on ground in 2015 and had added another 6.3 million farmers to the list
- He insisted that he did not tell a lie and stated that the figure is verifiable from the office of the Minister of Agriculture
The minister of information and culture Lai Mohammed is defending his claim that as a result of the various initiatives embarked upon by the Muhammadu Buhari administration especially in rice production, over over 12 million farmers in the country are now gainfully employed.
According to The Independent, the minister made his comments following accusations from many Nigerians that he had cooked up the figures as the jobs he was referring to were not visible.
READ ALSO: Benue killings: Nigerian embassy in UK under fire for shunning protesters
NAIJ.com gathers that the minister’s special adviser of media, Segun Adeyemi, insisted that the figures which had been given earlier could be verified.
Adeyemi stated that when President Buhari came into office in 2015, six million farmers were already on ground.
He further disclosed that another 6.3 million farmers were added to the list three years later, bringing the total number to 12.3 million.
He stated that the additional jobs were added via the Anchors Borrowers Programme.
In his words: “Those accusing the minister of telling lies about 12 million jobs in the agric sector are misquoting him. It is because they didn’t understand what the minister is saying.
“When we came in, there were six million farmers for rice. By now, we have grown that number to 12.3 million.
“So, it means we have created new 6.3 million farmers for rice. That is because of the Anchors Borrowers Programme. So, right now, there are 12.3 million farmers in the country.
“Out of this number, 6.3 million are new ones while six million were already on ground when this administration came in 2015. This figure is verifiable from the office of the Minister of Agriculture.”
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that Alhaji Lai Mohammed revealed why a lot of Nigerians are accusing him of feeding the masses with little white lies.
Mohammed said Nigerians always accuse him of lying because they've associated him with the opposition party for ten years.
He said: “I think I carried two major burdens. The first burden I carried is that I was the face of opposition for almost a decade and I think quite a big section of the internet has not forgiven me for the role I played in the coming of this government."
Which of President Buhari's ministers should be sacked? - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng