Nigeria’s survival depends on agric, solid minerals – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that with the declining revenues from crude oil exports, Nigeria’s hopes of economic resurgence now lie in the rapid development of its agricultural and solid mineral resources.

He said his administration was fully committed to increasing the productivity of Nigeria’s agriculture and solid minerals sectors to save the nation from the harsh effects of lower crude oil prices.

According to a statement on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke in Riyadh late Tuesday at a meeting he had with leading members of the Council of Saudi Arabia’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

He regretted that the country had depended too much on crude oil exports to the neglect of other resources.Inviting Saudi Arabian businessmen to invest in both agriculture and solid minerals, the President said that his administration will welcome greater foreign investment in support of its efforts to rapidly diversify the Nigerian economy.

He added that Nigeria is now paying a harsh price for failing to diversify its economy early enough.

He said, “With the downturn in the global prices of oil, we now have to prospect our solid minerals. We have to return to agriculture.

“Mining and agriculture are our hopes now. We will welcome investments in these areas.

“We will appreciate an in-flow of  more resources and expertise to help us achieve our objective of economic diversification.”

The governors of Osun, Ogun, Katsina, Borno, and Zamfara States, who were part of the President’s delegation, took turns to address the Saudi Arabian businessmen on investment possibilities in their states, assuring them of good returns.

The Chairman of the Council of the Saudi Arabian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Abdulrahman Al Zamil, said that agriculture was a very important area of investment for its members, adding that they were already in Brazil, the United States of America and Sudan, “where we have huge farms.”

Declaring that they were willing to invest in Nigeria,  Al Zamil said that the Saudis were the leading investors in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya and Ethiopia.