By Gabriel Ewepu and Fortune Eromosele

THE incumbent President of the Maize Association of Nigeria, MAAN, Dr Bello Abubakar, Monday, was re-elected for another four year tenure to be in charge of the association’s affairs.

Abubakar while speaking after his re-election assured his commitment to ensure that maize importation is stopped in the country, which will serve as one of his priorities during his second tenure.

He said: I am happy and glad for the re-election as President by my MAAN members, it is a big task once again that has been conferred on me, but I am happy and I will ensure that I carry out my responsibilities.

“Our plans going forward, is to continue building on what we have begun with establishing a business in the maize association to be an independent body, not to depend on land and the government.

“We have already designed our roadmap on making our maize protection independently and also establish some processing companies for maize in Nigeria, and provide machineries for farming in this association.

“On the importation of maize, that one is already a dead matter because President Muhammadu Buhari has already stopped the importation of maize in Nigeria even from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“He (Buhari) has already said we must eat what we produce, therefore we will comply with that directive.”

On his part, Patron, MAAN, Ahmed Danbaba, commended the work and effort of the re-elected President of MAAN, and expressed optimism that he (Abubakar) will actualize expectations from the association during this second tenure.

“I commend the newly elected chairman, he has been doing well and providing solutions for the country by stopping the importation of maize. He has been in the office for four years and has been re-elected by the members of the Association, because they felt he has done well.

“Our expectations from his re-election as president, is to stop completely, the importation of maize from anywhere. We will feed our nation, as President Muhammadu Buhari said, we should eat what we grow. We hope in the next couple of years, not a single maize will be imported from anywhere in the world”, Danbaba said.