2nd August, 2014
President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday commended the Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for investing one billion dollars in rice production in the country.
Jonathan made the commendation at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Government and Dangote Group on the investment at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Minister of Agriculture, Adewunmi Adesina, signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while Dangote signed for his company.
The president said the investment was the single largest ever made in rice production in Africa.
He thanked Dangote for investing in agriculture and assured him that his investment would be worthwhile.
The president said he was looking forward to a time Nigeria would be self-sufficient in rice production and a net-exporter of the grain.
Jonathan added that the Federal Government would protect Nigeria’s borders and check smuggling.
“Government cannot allow its borders to be porous. We are working on non-human measures.
“Smugglers should have a rethink now and change their ways by investing their resources in other meaningful areas,” he said.
Dangote thanked Jonathan for the consistency of government’s policies, noting that the current 25 billion dollar Dangote Cement Company was the result of the consistency of government policies.
He assured the president that his company “will continue to work hard and will not disappoint the Federal Government”.