The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa during the week promised to work with the National Sugar Development Council, NSDC, in making sure the National Sugar Masterplan of Nigeria becomes a reality.
The EFCC boss gave this assurance when the Executive Secretary of NSDC, Zacch Adedeji presented a copy of the National Sugar Masterplan to him during a courtesy visit to the Commission’s Headquarters, Jabi Abuja.
Explaining the vision behind the Masterplan, Adedeji said it was to revolutionize sugar production towards achieving national sufficiency in sugar production. The NSDC boss noted that the Sugar industry has the potential to solve unemployment and insecurity problems in Nigeria but regretted that the country was contributing less than 5% of the Sugar value chain. “We need to achieve at least 65 % value addition to achieve the objectives of the Masterplan”, he said.
He therefore appealed to the EFCC to assist the Council in achieving its objectives. “We are here today to seek for further support in achieving our aim. We want to focus on the economic part of EFCC, so our meeting here is to forge ahead that alliance that we have had, that has been working for us, to pursue such alliance to where we can achieve our sugar sufficiency”.
He added that the Council looks forward to collaborating with the Commission in intelligence and data gathering.
Bawa assured the NSDC boss that the Commission will provide all the necessary support needed to achieve the mandate of the Council. “The EFCC will cooperate with you in whatever way we can be of help to ensure that the Nigerian Sugar Masterplan becomes a reality,” he said.
Packaged by Emmanuel Okafor
