The Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has decried the activities of kidnappers in scaring away investors from the country and having crippling effects particularly on the agricultural sector.
Dangote, who made this known at the on-going Agric Expo and Conference, organised by Nigeria Agribusiness Group in collaboration with other private and public sector agencies, lamented the spate of kidnapping along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, which has made investors owning commercial farms to practically abandon them for fear of being attacked and kidnapped.
Represented by Engr. Mosul Ahmed, Executive Director, Public Sector, Dangote Group, Dangote speaking on ‘Challenges Facing Agribusiness Investors in Nigeria,’ bemoaned that “The security situation in the country is discouraging agribusiness investors. Most of the people that have large farms along the Kaduna-Abuja road have abandoned the farm due to the menace of kidnapping.”
He also lamented the bottlenecks in access to land by agribusiness investors, which he traced to the Land Use Act, and cautioned that if the Act was not reviewed, it would impede the expected and desired diversification of the economy and to make it the economic mainstay of the country.
He, therefore, advised that various governments should begin to work together where necessary on the issue with proactive approach, particularly on securing land for commercial agriculture.
The business magnate accused governments at all levels for lack of cooperation and protection investors in the agricultural sector, which according to him, there has not been proper synergy created on the line of inter-governmental relationship for better performance and productivity by the sector.
“Agriculture cannot strive in this country, except there is cooperation between all the agencies of government. Inter-governmental cooperation is lacking in galvanising the kind of support that investors need in the sector”, he stated.
