The Emir of Zazzau and Grand Patron of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA), Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamali, has called on the northern region to wake up and address extreme hunger.

Speaking at the 3^rd KADCCIMA Award of excellence ceremony in Kaduna, the emir said the region does not need a soothsayer to tell it that hunger crisis is coming and it needs to wake up because agriculture is the mainstay of the economy.

According to him, “The issue of hunger crises in the coming year, you do not need a soothsayer to tell you that, but we are praying to the Almighty and this is a clarion call that people should device other means of getting alternatives because if you put your eggs in one basket, certainly you will be confronted with shockers that you cannot contain.

“We should wake up from our slumber and see what we can do because the mainstay of our economy I think is agriculture, especially in the northern region. Agriculture is badly affected this year for two key reasons, one the flood and secondly the banditry unfortunately in our region which is disastrous.”

He congratulated the awardees who he said have made invaluable contributions to the economy of the country in their different spheres of life particularly in the Northern region.

He then explained that tertiary education all over the world is not free saying, “If Nigerians want quality education, you have to pay. I am not saying that people should pay exorbitant prices because some of the registration fees we pay in our Nigerian school if you compare it with schools overseas, you will discover that we pay less in schools overseas than in Nigeria.”

Also speaking, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Business Innovation, Dr. Yusuf Saleh, said in the last seven years, the Kaduna state government has tried its best to make investments in different sectors in the economy.

He said the ministry of business innovation develops the skills of youth to fit into different endeavors of life.

Chairman, Falke Industries, Alhaji Samaila Maigoro, urged the government to identify existing businesses and encourage them to do more through facilities, training and exposure.

The President, KADCCIMA, Alhaji Sulieman Aliyu, said the chamber will introduce a mentorship programme to groom future business leaders in the region. (Daily Trust)

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