President Muhammadu Buhari has explained that his decision to trek 800 metres back home from prayer ground on Eid-el-Kabir day was to acknowledge the overwhelming cheers he received from the crowd.
He said contrary to the belief in some quarters, it was not a bid to show off his fitness.
According to his media aide, Garba Shehu, the president who spoke in a meeting with representatives of the five local governments in Daura Emirate said he was not out to score any cheap political capital.
His words: ‘‘This is my constituency, the people came out in their large numbers to see me and the car in which I was being driven had tinted windows.
‘‘They were not seeing me so I came down so they could see me. I didn’t need to convince anyone about my health and the decision to contest for a second term- a decision that I made public in April this year.’’
The president used the opportunity of his meeting with his kinsmen to inform them that he had directed the Ministry of Agriculture and the CBN to review the processes on the issuance of loans to smallholder farmers.
‘‘We want to make it easier for them to assess the loans, particularly the under-privileged people in the society. It has become necessary for the government to do this because banks will insist on collaterals which majority of farmers do not have.
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‘‘For our agriculture policy to succeed, we must be able to reach small farm holders with loans without collaterals. Collaterals are always a problem with smallholder farmers,’’ he said.
Buhari also highlighted the achievements of the administration on local rice productions which he said had expectedly led to the reduction of imports by over 90 per cent.
The president expressed delight that young people were returning to the farms and reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to implement policies to promote agriculture.
Speaking on behalf of the civil society groups in Daura Emirate, the spokesman of the group, Yusuf Bello Maiadua, applauded Buhari on his numerous achievements.
‘‘You have made us proud, the economy is back on the path of growth and you have laid a solid foundation for the development of the country.
Maiadua who hinted the president of plans by the Daura Emirate to organise a massive rally for his 2019 campaign, as soon as the ban on political campaign was lifted, invited him to make out time to attend.
