Nigerians now eat local rice after border closure – Buhari

President Muhammad Muhammadu Buhari said Nigerians now eat local rice after the closure of the nation’s borders.

Buhari lauded the nation’s farmers for the record production of rice and other food commodities.

The President expressed delight that his agricultural policies of the administration are working to good effect.

He spoke in Katsina on Friday at a meeting with elected Local Government Council chairmen in the state.

Buhari said he has a good understanding of Nigeria and its people, hence the formation of tailored agricultural plans.

“I said we must grow what we eat and eat what we grow. This is a country that was once dependent on foreign rice.

“We closed the border to foreign rice. I said why can’t we eat Nigerian rice, and with the policies put in place, Nigerians are eating home grown rice.”

Buhari noted that the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) helped the government to curtail unscrupulous government officials.

“I found a tough man (Hamid Ali) for the job at Customs. He came to me and said they had intercepted 20 fuel tankers about to cross the border.

“I said to him, “sell the fuel and the tankers and put the money in TSA”. That money would have found its way to the numerous mysterious ‘government’ accounts”, he added.