The First Lady of Nigeria, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has inaugurated the 2026 farming season and flagged off the distribution of mechanisation assist 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, growth companions, and stakeholders within the agricultural sector, was held on the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, Minna.
The agricultural implements distributed embrace 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 among Nigeria’s main agricultural hubs.
She noticed that the intervention represents a deliberate shift from subsistence farming to fashionable, mechanised, and commercially pushed agriculture able to stimulating financial development, creating employment alternatives, and guaranteeing meals safety.
According to her, the initiative is just not solely about growing meals manufacturing but additionally about constructing a sustainable agricultural worth chain that can assist processing, storage, transportation, advertising, and export alternatives for agricultural produce.
Sen. Oluremi Tinubu said 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, significantly within the areas of meals availability, affordability, financial diversification, and rural growth.
The First Lady congratulated farmers throughout the state and urged them to make even handed use of the tools and inputs supplied whereas embracing fashionable 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 varied 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 whole 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 also encourage agro-processing industries, entice non-public sector participation, strengthen commodity export potential, and create alternatives for youth and girls participation in agriculture-related enterprises.
Governor Bago said that for the reason that graduation of agricultural mechanisation within the state, outstanding progress has been recorded, stressing that agriculture stays a high 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 broaden irrigation infrastructure to assist all-year-round farming and set up efficient off-take mechanisms for farm produce by way of strategic partnerships and commodity market techniques.
The Farmer Governor referred to as on farmers, buyers, growth 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 assist for Niger State by facilitating extra agricultural investments able to unlocking the huge untapped potentials within the sector for nationwide growth.
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 continued 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 guaranteeing 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 robust management in agricultural productiveness because of its huge arable land.
Chairman of Niger Foods Security Systems and Logistics, Mr. Sammy Adigun, mentioned the state’s monumental agricultural potential locations it in a strategic place to drive meals manufacturing, agro-processing, and export growth.
He defined that Niger Foods, as a particular goal automobile of the state authorities, is collaborating with technical and monetary companions to domesticate massive expanses of land by way of 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 goals, assuring that the state will proceed to enrich 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 growth.
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 will considerably tackle meals insecurity, enhance livelihoods, and stimulate financial actions throughout rural communities.
