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The Confederation of All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Groups has called on the Federal Government to empower 200 people on small scale businesses in each state of the federation to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.
Its Director-General, Prof. Kailani Muhammad, made the call at the Graduation and Celebration of Academic Excellence, organised by the British American University in Abuja.
Muhammad also urged the government to equip Nigerian farmers by giving them machineries and fertilizers to produce crops in commercial quantities for local consumption and export.
“We want the Federal Government to empower at least 200 people to do small scale businesses in each state of the federation including FCT so that they will stop complaining.
“In the 1960s, Nigeria fed Africa. I can remember when I was a child, the country was exporting rice from Bida, Niger state. The state also fed Nigeria with rice. Why can’t we do it again?
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“So, this brings about the issue of insecurity. We want insecurity to be eradicated in our society. Government should equip the farmers, give them machineries, fertilizers by encouraging them.
“I believe that we can still make it. Our land produces rubber and cocoa in Ogun and other parts of the South West region, Niger State has rice, Sokoto produces beans and we can produce these in commercial quantities, feed ourselves and export.”
The director-general also urged the Federal Government to stop rooting palliatives through state governments to the masses.
He added that the Federal Government’s palliatives should be given to various associations of students, women associations, Confederation of APC Support Groups and the political parties.
“All these monies that were given to the Governors, we are calling on the Federal Government to stop it. The state governments should roll out their own palliatives for the poor masses.
“While the ones we want the Federal Government to be rolling out, it should be given to various associations of students, women associations, Confederation of APC Support Groups, the political parties whether you are PDP, APC, Labour, APGA or other parties.
“We want all these palliatives to be given to the masses,” he said.
Muhammad also commended the Federal Government for allowing the Federal Universities to operate an endowment independent of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
According to him, the issue of removing tertiary institutions from TSA is a good idea but government should also make sure that Value Added-Taxes (VAT) placed on universities are removed.
He said this would promote peace and unity in the universities where the lecturers can work assiduously to bring out graduates that are really qualified as British American University is doing now.
Muhammad urged the government to do free education right from primary to the secondary and tertiary institutions as done by the first Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
“Education has to do with the intellectual development of individuals from infant to adulthood. Education is about civilisation where normal human interaction takes place on a daily basis.
“This is where the culture, norms and traditions of the society are transmitted from one generation to another. So, we are calling on the government to do the way Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the first Premier of the Western Region did.
“We want free education right from primary to secondary and tertiary institutions. Nigeria has the money to do that. Vocational and technical institutions should be revived.
“Those good old days when we were in technical colleges, all the workshops and laboratories were equipped and we were doing our practicals.
“But today, technical colleges are no more. If you want transfer of technology, it has to be done through technical colleges, catch them young. Once we do that I think Nigeria will be a great country.”
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