States want more roles in agric, solid minerals

Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has shed more light on the discussions elected governors under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) had with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.

Governor Abubakar, who offered the clarifications, in a chat with journalists in Abuja, said the APC Governors under the aegis of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, (PGF), told President Buhari of the need for them to play more roles in the affairs of the party at the state level, with a view to providing stability to the party, a request he said, the president was agreeable to.

The Bauchi governor declaring support for calls for the restructuring of certain aspects of government, to give more control to states and local governments said “For example, agriculture. The Federal Government has no land anywhere. The land belongs to the states and local governments and that’s where agriculture takes place. So, it’s obvious that the states and the local governments must be given more responsibilities as far as agriculture is concerned.

“Mining for instance, today, is the policy of APC-led Federal Government that we should move into agriculture and mining with a view to diversifying the economy of the nation.”