Niger, Gombe governors meet Tinubu, discuss food security

On Thursday, the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, and his Gombe State counterpart, Inuwa Yahaya, separately met with President Bola Tinubu to discuss how they can collaborate with the federal government to achieve food security in the country.

Mr Tinubu had during his New Year’s speech emphasised the need to invest in agriculture. He also disclosed that his government is targeting to use 500,000 hectares of land for farming this year.

“To ensure constant food supply, security and affordability, we will step up our plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet and other staple crops,” the president had said. “We launched the dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State last November under our National Wheat Development Programme.”

In line with this, the Niger State governor claimed that half of the targeted hectares of land had been reserved in his state for dry-season farming.

In the previous weeks, the state signed agreements with private and government agencies including the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and Tata Group of Companies to improve agricultural output.

Boasting leadership in the food security initiative of the Tinubu-led government, Mr Bago said: “There are some initiatives we have started we’re about to do a total of 250,000 hectares dry season farming, which we’ve already signed an agreement with some companies for off-take and just to keep him up to speed with what we’re doing in agriculture.”

The governor after his meeting with the president said Niger State’s partnership with the federal government would yield a positive result to boost food security.

Although agricultural activities predominantly take place in local communities, some of which are constantly attacked by terrorists, the governor said: “Farmers have returned to the farm.”

Gombe governor presents scorecard

In his speech after meeting with the president, Governor Yahaya told journalists he came to see the president to update him on “technical issues especially coming through 2023 and into 2024. And to see that we address issues after passing the 2024 budget into law.”

“The state is trying to see that they come out strongly this time around to see that we put action to words and see that we make Nigeria work more than before,” he said.

Mr Yahaya noted that he presented the scorecard of his administration to the president.

“It is the complete content of what we did spanning through 2019 and 2023 which was the first term that I did covering all the sectors vis-a-vis manifestoes and developmental plan that we did for Gombe State that will take us till 2030.

“We rated ourselves and saw what we did and put them to pictures with proof of actions that we took part in several issues in all the sectors and I said it is a good document that we show to the president what we really are doing in Gombe and where we are ready to go as far as performance is concern,” he added.

On the state’s collaboration with the federal government, Mr Yahaya said there was collaboration in healthcare and ensuring an enabling business environment.

“There were several engagements towards the end of 2023 pertaining to healthcare and enabling business environment and so many things. Without the economy picking we will continue to be where we are or even worse off and collaboration of the state and the federal government including the local governments is very fundamental for us because if there is any disconnect we may not deliver,” he said.

Explaining how Gombe will take part in the federal government’s food security initiative, the governor said there is a need to go beyond planning.

“We are prepared but it doesn’t end only in planning or take off. We must be all through from the beginning and to the end, the way it is now, people have to understand that we must modernise,” he explained. “There is a need for machine tools, there is a need for processing; luckily Gombe State is among the states that have been approved to be part of special agric processing zones and we set up an industrial park where we can process all the agricultural produce that we have in the state. I think if all states will key in and work in tandem with the FG, we shall easily reach the destination.”