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…Vows to set up others across Nigeria
In furtherance of President Mohammadu Buhari’s secret directive to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Business Mogul, Aliko Dangote, to float cattle feed factories across Nigeria in anticipation of the passage of the executive version of the Grazing Reserve Bill prepared by the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, the former vice president, weekend launched the factory, Rico Gado Nigeria Limited at the Idu Industrial Layout, Abuja.
President Buhari was represented at the ceremony attended by all Fulani community chiefs and groups in the Federal Capital Territory by the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe. Others who attended the ceremony include Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bello Mohammad, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, among other dignitaries.
The groundbreaking ceremony was couched as an investment drive by Atiku Abubakar and his Portuguese partners, operators of the company. The former vice president has substantial shares in the company.
Pointblanknews.com had earlier reported that the former Vice-president already set
up one of the factories in Yola, Adamawa State capital, his home state.
The factory specifically produces cattle feed that would cater for
expected cattle ranches to be set up in the country at the expected
passage of the controversial grazing bill by the National Assembly.
Speaking at the ceremony, Atiku said: Ï wish to state that after the successful take off of this factory, we shall embark on similar projects in Abuja and subsequently in other sub-regions of the country”.
“The plant in Abuja is not only similar to the Yola plant that has an installed capacity of 20 tonnes per hour but also much larger with an installed capacity of 50 tonnes animal feed per hour.
“The emergence of this animal feeds could not have come at a better time than now. This plant is unique because besides producing poultry feeds of high quality, it will also lay emphasis on the production of small and large ruminant feeds. Here is a way of reducing the grazier-farmer conflict”, he said.
Atiku’s narrative is that the project would improve the nation’s economy.
“Despite the doubts about our economy because of current challenges, we are confident about Nigeria’s future and about our future.
“I think I speak for my partners in this joint venture when I say: We know what we are getting into, and we’re doing it because we believe in Nigeria, because we believe that Nigeria will overcome its current difficulties, because we believe our nation will change for the better,” he said.
But governors, lawmakers, and community leaders from Southern Nigeria have argued that public funds should not be used to fund private businesses of the Fulani people as the
campaign to pass the grazing bill before the National Assembly would encourage illegal acquisition of private land by the Buhari-led government for his Fulani kinsmen/herdsmen.
They contend that grazing reserves and ranches should be set up in northern states.
The vehicle for the grazing reserve/ranching campaign, Rico Gado Nigeria Limited (www.ricogadonigeria.com was only set up last year after the 2015 election.
The mission statement says the company “founded more than forty years ago, Rico Gado is now a leading brand in Portuguese livestock feed production sector. The quality and innovation of its products, from the complete feeds, natural mixtures and cereals, have consolidated Rico Gado’s presence through the years in the Portuguese livestock market.
“Having started its production operations at the Yola factory in the beginning of 2015, Rico Gado Nutrition Nigeria constitutes a very strong bet of Rico Gado brand on the Nigerian livestock market.
“Built to cover Northern Nigerian territory, it is part of our social compromise to work closely not only with Nigerian livestock producers but also with local raw material producers, boosting all agriculture value chain, from the farm to the consumer´s plate”.