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Niger State government’s quest to address the food crisis assailing major parts of the country through a raft of measures has been seen as an ambitious project not without its challenges. But the state government has left no one in doubt about its determination to revolutionise agriculture through deployment of mechanisation and technology-enhanced approaches, reports Justina Asishana
Everyone has acknowledged that there is indeed serious hunger in the land. But the Niger state government has decided to take the gauntlet and seize this auspicious moment to till the land with the hope of reaping bountiful harvests with lots of food to go round and ultimately banish hunger from the land!
The foregoing wisecrack by a keen observer of the events of the last few months in the state speaks to the promise of the Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, especially when he initiated the agricultural revolution initiative recently.
The promise of Niger state
Niger State, known as the “Power State” recently adopted a slogan of being a state of green economy due to its viable stance of being the largest state with over 76,300 square kilometres accounting for about 10% of the total land size of Nigeria hosting the longest distance of federal roads, which is about 8% of the entire national federal roads network in Nigeria.
The state’s plan to be at the forefront of agricultural innovation under the food security programme of the federal government may seem a tall dream for the uninitiated. But recent steps being taken by the state governor to harness the state’s abundant agricultural resources show that the state can indeed feed the nation as the governor assured the President that Niger State is Nigeria’s agricultural army to combat hunger and banish poverty from the country.
Enter Niger food revolution
The Niger state governor during the flag off of the Niger State Agricultural Mechanisation Revolution for Food Security Emergency programme in Minna said that the agricultural mechanisation programme is in tandem with the federal government infrastructure initiative pointing out that Nigerians have no reason to be poor giving reason why the state government had made significant investments in agricultural machinery and technology as the way to go and as part of the state’s efforts to advance the people’s aspiration towards food security in Nigeria.
Innovation, technology driven agriculture at the heart of Niger food revolution
Key to Governor Bago’s agricultural agenda is mechanisation, epitomised by significant investments in modern agricultural equipment and technology. The procurement of tractors, irrigation systems, and fertilizers signals a paradigm shift towards mechanised farming, poised to revolutionise agricultural productivity and food sufficiency in the state.
“In our unwavering commitment to this cause, the Niger State government under my watch has made significant investments in procuring machinery and technology for cultivation and land preparation. To this end, I am pleased to announce that we have procured a substantial number of agricultural equipment and inputs for enhanced agricultural activities in the state
“These include 1000 John Deere of which 300 have been delivered, 500 case tractors out of which 100 units were delivered, 500 units of combined harvester with 50 units delivered, 10,000 hand tillers for smallholder farmers, 10,000 solar irrigation water pumps of which 1000 have been delivered, 1000 pivot irrigation systems ordered with 60 already delivered, 200,000 metric tons of NPK/UREA Fertilizers with 20,000 tons delivered, 100,000 liters of herbicides with 10,000 liters delivered, 100,000 liters of pesticides ordered with 10,000 liters delivered.
To establish efficient road infrastructure and cost-effective and secure movement of goods and services, the state government disclosed its decision to embark on initiatives to rehabilitate and expand some federal roads that have implications for the evacuation of agricultural products. Examples include the 90km Kontagora to Rijau road, another 90km Agwara to Rofia, and the 50km Kakaki to Beji among others while the government plans to take over every ungoverned space hence the plan to establish industrial farm and processing estates across the 25 local government areas.
Embarking on the pragmatic agenda to secure the nation’s food supply and uplift the lives of the people through agricultural development initiatives, Niger State says it is working towards making the state available and to serve as champion for the food security agenda of the federal government. To this end, the government is developing an Agro-processing Free Zone of 3,000 hectares of land where 1,000 hectares is dedicated to greenhouses; 1000 for dairy and meat processing as the state is the host of the largest congregation of cattle in Africa and the other 1000 hectares for Agro-processing storage, aggregation, and other value chain development components.
Presidential backing for food revolution
Perhaps, it is not any surprising that the state has got an imprimatur of support from the Presidency, which explains why President Bola Tinubu recently flagged off the Food Security and Agricultural Mechanisation Programme in Niger State, emphasising that his administration remains committed to ensuring food sufficiency and protecting local industries for sustainable economic growth.
The project, an initiative of the Niger State government, is for the deployment of cutting-edge agricultural machinery and technology for large-scale agro-value chain development in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration, President Tinubu said the event represents another step in the food security and agricultural mechanisation agenda, declaring that Nigeria must enhance its capacity to feed its people and have enough for export.
“We have seen the level of commitment here. We have seen leadership. The success of any leader will depend on the ability to do what needs to be done when it ought to be done. It is now time for us to address the challenges and make Nigeria an economy of opportunities. We must care for our people; re-orient our people. I do not see why Nigeria cannot feed all students in its schools.
“I know what it means for roaming cows to eat crops and the vegetation of our land. I know it is painful. But when we re-orient the herder and make provision for cattle rearing, we can address that. You are the governors who are to provide us with land. I, as President, I am committed to providing a comprehensive programme that will solve this problem,” the President said.
President Tinubu also urged sub-national governments, as an immediate intervention measure, to implement wage awards in their states to complement the efforts of the federal government in easing the burden of citizens, pending when the minimum wage is increased.
“I am equally here to partner with you to banish hunger. You are doing the job. And it is necessary for me to support you; it is mandatory as Nigerians. When you read newspapers, some of us are confused about whether to abuse the past or the present or to make excuses for the future. But that is not in my dictionary. I think action now, re-engineer the finances of our country and steer it on the right path.
“The student loan programme will commence. There will be unemployment benefits for our graduates. The social security benefits for the elderly and the vulnerable will commence. We are fine-tuning all of that area. We need to relieve our people of hunger. Let all the sub-nationals start paying wage awards, pending when the minimum wage is increased. I am not giving an order; I am only appealing. NEC should adopt this,” the President said.
Appreciating the President for honouring his invitation and inaugurating the facilities, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago said four states, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, and Lagos had already signed memoranda of understanding on building partnerships for the development of agriculture.
“Mr. President, your presence here today underscores the importance of this occasion for our state in particular and Nigeria as a whole, as we gather to celebrate a good example demonstrated in our modest contribution to infrastructure and agricultural development encapsulated in our New Niger Agenda.
“For us, agriculture is key to addressing the challenges in critical sectors of our economy, and we shall seize every opportunity for the attainment of growth and engender prosperity for the people of our beloved state and by extension our country, Nigeria,” the governor said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari disclosed that the federal government had signed an agreement with the Brazilian Government and German Deutsche Bank Group as financiers of a facility of 995 million euros for the Green Imperative Programme which will provide mechanisation hubs across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria when implemented.
“A memorandum of understanding between the federal government and the John Deere Group, a subsidiary of Tata Equipment, was signed. The manufacturer has signed to deliver 10,000 units of tractors and implement in tranches of 2,000 units per annum for the next five years.
“The Greener Hope Initiative is another veritable platform the federal government is deploying to ultimately change the deficit narrative in the Nigerian agricultural mechanisation space,” he added.
Synergy of cooperation with Lagos state
Governor Bago’s strategic partnerships with Lagos State and the federal government herald a new era of collaboration and investment in Niger State’s agricultural sector. The designation of Lagos State as off-takers of agricultural produce and commitments to support federal food security initiatives underscore the state’s pivotal role in national agricultural security and economic empowerment. This strategic initiative is planned to attract over N1 trillion investments into the state’s agricultural sector, consequently fostering the creation of more than 1 million direct and indirect job opportunities.
The state has also expressed the readiness of the state to contribute significantly to the federal government’s strategic reserves by providing the federal government with the platform for contract farming for the National Strategic Grain Reserve with vast potential to produce two million metric tons of food for the strategic reserves annually in order to bolster the state’s economy and strengthen the nation’s drive towards sustainable food security and resilience against external shocks.
Governor Bago’s vision for transforming Niger state’s agricultural landscape seems not to be merely aspirational as the government is taking steps to ensure it is rooted in tangible initiatives and strategic partnerships. With bold and determined leadership and proactive measures, the state is poised to emerge as a powerhouse in agricultural production, driving economic growth and prosperity for its citizens and Nigeria as a whole.
Farmers’ animosities
But this massive agricultural revolution plan of the government is however not taken with open arms as concerned groups of people across the state have called on the state government to come out and tell the farmers what is expected for them while others are claiming that the plan is for the state government to take over their farm lands in the form of farm estates.
The critics have thrown a lot of questions to the governor and they are expecting answers. Some of the questions include the eventual cost implications of acquiring the machineries as the governor said that the state is not paying any money for the agricultural machineries and inputs, rather the farmers will be paying John Deere with farm produce. The critics are concerned with how long would the farmers be paying John Deere with food produce and in what quantity per annum or harvest period?
Also on the off-taker agreement with the Lagos State Government and TGI (Owners of Union Bank) in exchange for farm produce brings up several other questions as the farmers are asking the state government to come clean and explain these things in simple terms to them so that the farmers and the government can be on the same page.
As the curtain rises on the Niger State Agricultural Mechanisation Revolution, the stage seems set for a transformative journey towards food security, economic prosperity, and national development. Niger state has embarked on a voyage that holds the promise of banishing hunger, empowering communities with the dream of heralding a new era of agricultural excellence.
Pray, can these lofty dreams really come to fruition under the Bago-led administration? Time will tell!