Bauchi — As the 14th North-East joint Domestic Trade Fair opened in Bauchi weekend, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has challenged the National Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mining and Agriculture (NACCIMA) to initiate more actions that will help alleviate poverty among Nigerians as well as develop the socio-economic sector of the nation.

Yar'Adua who gave the challenge while declaring open the Trade Fair holding in Bauchi, the state capital, lamented the high rate of poverty among the people, saying that all efforts must be put in place by bringing different initiatives in order to alleviate poverty among the citizens.

Represented by Governor of Gombe state, Alhaji Muhammad Danjuma Goje, the President said Nigeria is a country blessed with abundant oil, mineral and agricultural resources, saying "we can not be fortunate to have all this and would not be able to uplift the living standard of our people, so we need to wake up and utilize all these resources to the benefit of the citizenry."

While urging NACCIMA to further partner with various state governments in creating enabling environment to attract investors to different states of the federation, he said "in order to boost the economy of our country, private investors must be encouraged to invest in our dear states."

Yar'Adua also commended North East governors for their effort to boost the economy of the region by organizing the trade fair as well as their effort to address power problem.

Speaking earlier, the Bauchi state Governor, Malam Isa Yuguda, said the domestic trade fair was organized by way of attracting local and foreign investors as well as engendering business partnership.

Yuguda assured the continuity of the trade fair in order to bring progress to the North East region adding that economic and commercial activities of the region would be further enhanced as a result of the trade exhibition.

He appealed to other states governments in the region to cooperate with Bauchi state in developing the long abandoned Zaki Kafin dam which he said would help create job employments not only for the people of the state but entire country when completed.

In order to boost the economy of the state, Yuguda said his administration has established a branch of stock exchange which according to him will soon be commissioned, saying this would enable the people of the state buy and sell shares without going to other states to trade.