Poverty alleviation: Minister charges Zamfara on areas for FG intervention

By Abba-Eku Onyeka Abuja

Minister of State for Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Hajia Aisha Abubakar has urged Zamfara state Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ZACCIMA) to recommend five companies out of which her ministry would select either two or three to intervene in the area of poverty alleviation in the state.
This was contained in a release signed by Deputy Director, Press, Olujimi Oyetomi made out of a recent visit from ZACCIMA’s delegates who came to appeal to the Ministry to save many of the moribund industries in the state from going into extinction.
Speaking, Aisha Abubakar advised them to identify companies that have the potentials to create jobs and those that have the potentials to drive economic activities in the state.
Commending the visitors for coming out boldly for the request, she said the government has agriculture as one of its areas of priorities, even as she added that Zamfara is highly noted as one of the agrarian states in Nigeria. She assured them of the ministry’s cooperation so as to identify areas the state wants to promote as well as how the ministry can intervene.
Promising to ensure that they are encouraged in the growth of cotton which the state had been producing before, the minster however advised the ZACCIMA to join the African Cotton Association (ACA) to enable them be a part of a conference coming up in March. Noting that over he past two years, the state had not been attending National Council of Industry, Industry, Trade and Investment regularly, she urged them to push their commissioner to be regular in the council so as to be wary of the happenings in therefrom.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Me Edet Akpan gave assurance that everything will be done to change the scenario noting also that the president is doing a lot to generate a lot of power in the country.
The Director, Investment in the Ministry, Mrs Olukemi Arodudu on her own advised the visitors to guide the Federal Government on how they can help the state, even as she advised them to follow strictly the tasks given to them by the minister for their request to be realized.