Nigerians not regretting back-to-land policy, Buhari tells Ethiopia’s Ex-PM

• Approves Establishment Of Aviation Varsity

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the focus on agriculture by the Federal Government has already begun to pay off, noting that Nigerians were not regretting it.

President Buhari spoke yesterday at State House, Abuja, while receiving in audience former Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, His Excellency, Ato Hailemariam Dessalegn Boshe.

“We needed to go back to the land, as petroleum could no longer sustain the country, particularly with fluctuating prices. Today, we eat what we grow, and we have stopped importation of many food products. There’s no foreign exchange to even waste again.

“Agriculture has also helped us to generate employment. We have embraced technology, and some people are even leaving the offices to go back to the land. And they are not regretting it. That is the feedback we get,” the President said.

The former Prime Minister congratulated Buhari for the achievements Nigeria has attained under him, especially in the area of agriculture, and for successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said he was in the country on the auspices of Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, noting that the organisation was working in 16 countries in Africa, “and if we want to change anything in the continent, it must start with Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, President Buhari has approved the establishment an African University of Aerospace and Aviation to be located in Abuja.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, stated this when he led other management team of the Aviation Ministry on a working visit to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission in Abuja.

Sirika said N1 billion has been budgeted for the take off of the specialised university, which would be dedicated to research and development in civil aviation and aerospace technology.

He explained that the university was unique as Nigeria was the first country in the African continent to establish such an institution, saying that was what inspired the name – African University of Aerospace and Aviation.

The minister noted that aerospace and civil aviation had been expanded with new frontiers that need the attention of experts.

“An example is the development of drones or unmanned vehicles that are now taking over the space; delivering cargo, delivering mails, delivering things and very soon delivering human beings.

“This is a new frontier in civil aviation that needs to be developed. We started with Brazil in the area of civil aviation; today Brazil is producing aircraft and we aren’t producing a pin. So, I think we should be able to have this university that is dedicated to aerospace and aviation in addition also production of high-level manpower,” Sirika said.

After receiving the concept of the proposed university from the minister, the Executive Secretary, National University Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, stated that the commission would engage some professors to perfect the concept note for immediate approval.

Rasheed said: “I can assure you that by the end of the month (July), we are going to have a brand new university, the first of its kind in Abuja, first African University dedicated to aviation and aerospace study in the country”.

According to the Executive Secretary, the value of such university could not be quantified, commending the minister for his boldness and courage.

“This aviation, under your guidance, will be the first to show the way that we can support the establishment of specialised university that won’t only serve us but also serve the African region and the international community,” he added.