Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has said that his agricultural policy, which resulted in massive rice production this year, was an inspiration from God.
He stated this while interacting with journalists shortly after inspecting the Akanu Ibiam flyover in Abakaliki.
“Many things we do in Ebonyi State, we don’t do by our power or by our might. They are inspirations from God,” he was quoted as saying in a statement on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Emma Anya.
Umahi, who identified corruption as the cause of economic challenges facing the nation, noted that leaders would not do much if their followers were not prepared to make positive changes.
He said: “I pity our country. You can see that foreign rice is no longer safe. It is plastic rice. The corn beef we eat is no longer safe too. I know that we can feed ourselves. There is no day in Ebonyi State that rice was sold and you hear that it is not safe. There is also no day that people came to Ebonyi State and did not see rice to buy. The same thing goes for other localities and states in Nigeria.
“So, the truth remains that some local and foreign businessmen are manipulating us. We suffer this also in the area of petroleum. We can have mini-refineries in the three geopolitical zones. It’s a question of courage but our country must know that this is not the problem of the President alone. The President can do nothing if we that are his followers are not prepared to make some changes. So, when anybody thinks the President or governors can perform magic, they must know that it doesn’t happen that way.
The governor therefore called on every Nigerian to work hard “for us to have a better future,” adding that wishful thinking or blames would not solve Nigeria’s problems.