Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has said the current border closure by the Federal Government is yielding good results as Nigerian farmers are “smiling to the bank.”

Gbajabiamila said the action by the Federal Government has forced Nigerians to now consume locally farmed products, especially Nigerian rice.

Gbajabiamila spoke in Surulere, Lagos State, on Sunday at his annual end-of-year grassroots empowerment programme.

The speaker said: “I must say the impact of closing Nigeria’s borders to foreign rice is yielding results. I am sure so many farmers are now smiling to the bank. The volume of Christmas rice sales made by Nigerian farmers speaks to the emerging culture of eating what we grow.”

This is even as the speaker provided cash grants to some 500 beneficiaries in his Surulere 1 Federal Constituency to help boost their businesses, as part of his annual empowerment programme.

Also, 23 people received cars as part of the empowerment programme, computer business owners received power generating sets and photocopying machines, while students received laptops.

“My vision and mission is that by the time we are done in four years, Surulere will never be the same again. That is an assurance. At least as of now, no fewer than 70 to 80 people in Surulere have become proud car owners in my time, and we will continue to do more.

“This year’s edition of our grassroots programme focuses on small businesses in our constituency and to better the income of constituents in the year 2020.