Some farmers in Gombe have described the late President Muhammadu Buhari as the most farmer-friendly president in the country’s history.
They stated this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Gombe, while reacting to the former president’s death.
Dr. Musa Arab, an agronomist, said that farmers had lost a leader who genuinely cared for them and made tremendous efforts to revamp agriculture.
He said Buhari initiated viable agricultural development programmes such as the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), which empowered farmers with improved fertilisers, seeds, and other inputs.
The ABP, he said, was the most impactful agricultural programme, enabling smallholder farmers to generate wealth, feed their households, and even embark on pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.
Arab added that the closure of land borders under Buhari’s administration transformed the agricultural investment landscape, prompting many entrepreneurs to invest in rice and cash crop processing, thereby creating thousands of jobs.
According to him, this contributed significantly to food security and enabled Nigerians to feed themselves and export surplus grains.
“Buhari was particular about the need for Nigerians to grow what we eat and export the excess to earn foreign exchange.
“His legacies in agriculture will endure, as they paved the way for an agro-processing revolution in the country, making many farmers wealthy and financially stable.
“During his administration, there were good returns on investment in the agricultural sector. Farmers have lost a true friend,” he said.
Ibrahim Kumo, a rice farmer, said the late president’s agricultural initiatives were focused on supporting smallholder farmers to thrive.
Kumo also described the ABP as a successful programme, despite implementation challenges that hindered its full potential.
“We will miss our friend in the farming community, and we pray God forgives his shortcomings.”
Also, Umar Hinna, a wheat grower, urged the Federal Government to sustain Buhari’s agricultural transformation programmes in order to make meaningful progress in food security.
He said Buhari’s passion for farming encouraged many youths to venture into agriculture, turning them into major food producers and employers of labour.