Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to practical and result-driven governance and the diversification of the State’s economy through large-scale agriculture.

According to the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, Okpebholo made the remarks on Friday when he led top government officials on an inspection tour of the State-owned Farm, located in Udomi, Edo Central Senatorial District.

Speaking during the visit, Okpebholo described the farm as a tangible example of his administration’s resolve to translate policies into visible results that benefit the people.

The governor said, “It is a practical farm by my administration that delivers on practical governance. That is what you are seeing here. We do not just talk; we do it for you to see.”

Okpebholo commended the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for the progress made and reaffirmed his administration’s focus on achieving food security, job creation, and economic diversification through large-scale agriculture.

He stressed that projects like the Udomi Farm represent a clear departure from promises on paper to results that can be seen and measured, underscoring his government’s commitment to empower local farmers and support agro-industrial development across Edo State.

Earlier, the Director of Agricultural Services in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ogunbo David, who conducted the Governor and his team round the farm, disclosed that the maize cultivated at the site had reached the harvesting stage.

According to him, the farm is currently recording between six and seven tons of maize per hectare across 400 hectares, with the Prime Flour Mill at Ewu serving as the major off-taker.

Earlier in the day, Okpebholo had inspected ongoing construction work at the Benin Flyover, Ramat Park, Benin City, to ascertain the level of progress before proceeding to the Udomi Farm.

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This came as the FATF announced the delisting at its Plenary in Paris, France, on Friday.

He described the move as a major milestone in the country’s ongoing economic and institutional reforms.

“This is not just a technical accomplishment. It is a strategic victory for our economy and a renewed vote of confidence in Nigeria’s financial governance,” a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, quoted the president as saying.

The FATF is the world’s foremost standard-setting body for combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.

The announcement formally removed Nigeria from the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, commonly referred to as the “grey list”.

Tinubu said the delisting is evidence of the country’s commitment to global financial transparency and institutional integrity.

Nigeria was placed on the FATF grey list in February 2023, following concerns over weak enforcement, poor inter-agency coordination, and opaque financial practices.

“Rather than treat this as a setback, Nigeria viewed it as a call to action,” Onanuga stated.

Under the President’s directive and in alignment with his broader economic transformation agenda, Nigeria completed the FATF Action Plan through sweeping legal, institutional, and operational reforms.

The process was coordinated by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney-General, the Ministries of Finance, Justice, Interior, and other key institutions.

The President specifically praised the Director/CEO of the NFIU, Ms. Hafsat Bakari, and her team for what he called “diligent and timely implementation” of Nigeria’s commitments, saying their work earned international recognition for progress in tackling serious financial crimes.

President Tinubu credited the delisting to wide-ranging collaboration across the federal executive, legislature, judiciary, and private sector.

Among those acknowledged were the Central Bank of Nigeria, Corporate Affairs Commission, EFCC, ICPC, DSS, Nigeria Customs Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

“President Tinubu applauded the vital support from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Aviation, the Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, the Minister for Defence, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Solid Minerals, the Minister of State for Finance, the National Security Adviser as well as the leadership of the National Assembly and the Judiciary, in the attainment of the laudable achievement,” the statement read.

“Without their dedication and sacrifice, today’s success could not have been achieved.

“I thank them for their efforts and urged other stakeholders to emulate their standards”, President Tinubu said.

He also commended Nigeria’s development partners, particularly the governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Nations, and the European Commission for their technical support throughout the reform process.

According to President Tinubu, Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list is “not just a technical accomplishment, it is a strategic victory for our economy and a renewed vote of confidence in Nigeria’s financial governance.

“The exit from the FATF grey list marks the beginning of a new chapter in the nation’s financial reform agenda as Nigeria will sustain the already institutionalised reforms, deepen institutional collaboration and continue to build a financial system that Nigerians and the world can trust,” he stated.

Nigerians spent about $4.74m on foreign healthcare-related services from May 2023 to March 2025.

This is according to the latest Quarterly Statistical Bulletin of the Central Bank of Nigeria, obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday.

The amount represents spending during President Bola Tinubu’s first 22 months in office.

A comparative analysis of the data shows that Nigerians spent $4.74m on medical tourism during President Tinubu’s first 22 months in office, representing a 52 per cent decline from the $9.83m recorded during President Muhammadu Buhari’s first 22 months.

The data suggest a significant reduction in foreign healthcare spending, reflecting tighter foreign exchange controls and possibly increased local treatment options.

The report showed that from May to December 2023, spending on medical tourism totalled $2.28m.

A breakdown of the report stated that in May, Nigerians spent $1.28m, followed by $0.31m in June.

In July, spending fell sharply to $0.01m, while $0.26m was recorded in August. In September, only $0.02m was spent, $0.10m in October, $0.02m in November, and $0.28m in December.

In 2024, the spending fell further, totalling $2.40m for the year. Nigerians spent $2.30m in January, while no expenditure was recorded in February. In March, $0.01m was spent, followed by $0.00m in April.

In May, spending was $0.05m , $0.02m in June, and $0.00m in both July and August. In September, $0.01m was spent, with $0.00m recorded in October. In November, spending was $0.01m, and in December, $0.00m was recorded.

Early 2025 figures show that spending on medical tourism remained very low. In January, Nigerians spent $0.06m, while no expenditure was recorded in February and March.

Meanwhile, during President Buhari’s first 22 months in office, from May 2015 to February 2017, Nigerians spent about $9.83m, with monthly spending ranging from $0.08m in October 2016 to a peak of $3.20m in September 2015.

In May 2015, spending was $0.11m, $0.23m in June, $0.23m in July, $0.29m in August, and $3.20m in September. In October, $0.26m was spent, $0.33m in November, and $0.44m in December.

In 2016, spending was $0.35m in January, $0.38m in February, $0.96m in March, $0.67m in April, $0.46m in May and June, and $0.21m in July, August, and September. In October, spending was $0.08m, $0.10m in November, and $0.13m in December.

In 2017, Nigerians spent $0.18m in January and $0.34m in February.

Recently, the Nigerian Academy of Medicine expressed concern over the high rate of medical tourism, noting that Nigerians spend more than $1bn annually on healthcare abroad, a trend it said continues to drain the nation’s foreign exchange and undermine investment in local health infrastructure.

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