President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has identified food security and inclusive regional development as essential to Nigeria’s long-term stability and economic transformation.
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the opening of the Taraba International Investment Summit 2025 in Jalingo, the President urged stakeholders to harness the country’s vast agricultural and industrial potential.
He emphasised that sustainable economic growth must begin at the grassroots level and be driven by local resources.
“Food sufficiency is the first currency of national stability,” President Tinubu said, reaffirming that agriculture will remain central to his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, the President described Taraba as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s agricultural future, calling its potential a symbol of shared prosperity.
He praised the state’s natural endowments and called for a shift from subsistence farming to industrial-scale food production. “Every region of Nigeria has a role to play in our collective prosperity,” he added.
Tinubu also commended Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, for his visionary leadership in organising the summit. Governor Kefas assured participants that the state is secure and business-friendly, with vast human and natural resources ready for investment.
Business magnate Aliko Dangote reaffirmed his commitment to investing in Nigeria and pledged to support Taraba’s development vision.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar stressed the importance of a stable and secure investment climate, saying it was vital to unlocking Taraba’s economic potential and attracting sustainable growth.
Representing the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Niger State Governor Umar Bago highlighted the country’s untapped agricultural capacity, calling Nigeria “blessed with fertile land.” He also conveyed goodwill from the NGF Chairman, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, to the people of Taraba.
In a call for national unity, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, urged Nigerians to reject religious fanaticism and embrace tolerance as the foundation of peace and development. “No religion promotes violence,” he said.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, appealed to the Federal Government to prioritise the completion of the Kashimbila Dam, describing it as critical to resolving Nigeria’s electricity challenges.
