The First Lady of Nigeria, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has inaugurated the 2026 farming season and flagged off the distribution of mechanisation help tools to farmers throughout the 25 native authorities areas of Niger State.
The inauguration, which attracted many dignitaries, together with ministers, the nationwide management of the All Progressives Congress (APC), members of the State Executive Council, improvement companions, and stakeholders within the agricultural sector, was held on the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, Minna.
The agricultural implements distributed embody 250 tractors, 50 mix harvesters, 150,000 baggage of fertiliser, 1,500 planters, ploughs, growth sprayers, and harrows geared toward strengthening mechanised farming and enhancing productiveness throughout the state.
Speaking on the occasion, the spouse of the President counseled the Farmer Governor of Niger State for his daring agricultural transformation initiatives, noting that the state has firmly established itself as one in every of Nigeria’s main agricultural hubs.
She noticed that the intervention represents a deliberate shift from subsistence farming to trendy, mechanised, and commercially pushed agriculture able to stimulating financial development, creating employment alternatives, and guaranteeing meals safety.
According to her, the initiative isn’t solely about growing meals manufacturing but in addition about constructing a sustainable agricultural worth chain that may help processing, storage, transportation, advertising and marketing, and export alternatives for agricultural produce.
Sen. Oluremi Tinubu acknowledged that the mechanisation programme would empower farmers with the mandatory instruments to enhance yields, scale back post-harvest losses, improve family incomes, and contribute considerably to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
She added that the initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, notably within the areas of meals availability, affordability, financial diversification, and rural improvement.
The First Lady congratulated farmers throughout the state and urged them to make even handed use of the tools and inputs supplied whereas embracing trendy farming applied sciences and greatest agricultural practices.
Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago mentioned the funding in agriculture by his administration is focused at supporting farming actions on over 120,000 hectares of land throughout the 25 native authorities areas of the state.
He disclosed that the initiative is anticipated to generate over 3,000 direct and oblique jobs and produce an estimated 500,000 metric tons of various meals merchandise throughout each moist and dry farming seasons yearly.
The Governor defined that past major manufacturing, the intervention is strategically designed to stimulate the complete agricultural worth chain, together with mechanised land preparation, enter provide, irrigation farming, aggregation, processing, packaging, storage, logistics, and market entry.
He added that the large-scale funding may even encourage agro-processing industries, appeal to non-public sector participation, strengthen commodity export potential, and create alternatives for youth and girls participation in agriculture-related enterprises.
Governor Bago acknowledged that for the reason that graduation of agricultural mechanisation within the state, exceptional progress has been recorded, stressing that agriculture stays a prime precedence of his administration in its quest to place Niger State because the meals basket and agro-industrial hub of Nigeria.
He additional revealed that the state authorities will develop irrigation infrastructure to help all-year-round farming and set up efficient off-take mechanisms for farm produce via strategic partnerships and commodity market techniques.
The Farmer Governor known as on farmers, buyers, improvement companions, and different stakeholders to collaborate with the Niger Foods Security Systems and Logistics Limited in attaining the state’s agricultural transformation targets.
He additionally appealed to the First Lady to maintain her help for Niger State by facilitating extra agricultural investments able to unlocking the huge untapped potentials within the sector for nationwide improvement.
The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, applauded the initiative and expressed confidence that Niger State would emerge as a serious meals safety and agro-processing hub, particularly with the continuing Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway venture anticipated to enhance transportation and market connectivity.
Also talking, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, described agriculture as vital to the nation’s financial stability and mentioned the Federal Government is implementing insurance policies geared toward making certain the sector contributes extra considerably to nationwide GDP development.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, mentioned the Federal Government is strengthening partnerships with states and stakeholders to spice up meals manufacturing nationwide, including that Niger State is offering sturdy management in agricultural productiveness on account of its huge arable land.
Chairman of Niger Foods Security Systems and Logistics, Mr. Sammy Adigun, mentioned the state’s huge agricultural potential locations it in a strategic place to drive meals manufacturing, agro-processing, and export improvement.
He defined that Niger Foods, as a particular function car of the state authorities, is collaborating with technical and monetary companions to domesticate massive expanses of land via mechanisation and built-in value-chain techniques.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Isah Sidi Rijau, mentioned the intervention aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Federal Government’s meals safety targets, assuring that the state will proceed to enhance nationwide efforts towards attaining meals sufficiency and sovereignty.
The Secretary to the Niger State Government (SSG), Abubakar Usman, described the occasion as a serious milestone within the agricultural mechanisation programme of the Bago administration, reflecting its dedication to modernising agriculture, growing productiveness, empowering farmers, and strengthening agribusiness improvement.
The Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Yahaya Abubakar, represented by the Emir of Agaie, Yusuf Nuhu, described the intervention as well timed and impactful, noting that it might considerably handle meals insecurity, enhance livelihoods, and stimulate financial actions throughout rural communities.
