President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said his decision to trek some distance after observing Eid prayers at Kofar Arewa Eid Ground to his residence in Daura, Katsina State was not about proving his fitness level, Punch Metro reports.


According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke while receiving representatives of the five local governments in Daura Emirate at his private residence.

Garba had told journalists shortly after Buhari embarked on the trek on Tuesday that it was a confirmation that the President was fit for second term. But Buhari explained that the walk was not about proving his fitness level or scoring cheap political capital. He said he did not need to convince anybody about his state of health.

He said, ‘‘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 that I made public in April this year.”

The President seized the opportunity of his meeting with his kinsmen to inform them that he has directed the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Bank of Nigeria 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 underprivileged 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.

‘‘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.

The President also highlighted the achievements of the administration on local rice productions which he said had led to the reduction of imports by over 90 per cent.

He expressed delight that young people were returning to the farms and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to implementing policies to promote agriculture.

Speaking on behalf for the civil society groups in Daura Emirate, the spokesman of the group, Yusuf Maiadua, applauded the President 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,” he said.