*Says Nigeria must feed itself, have enough for export
By our correspondent
President Bola Tinubu has said that the federal government is ready to give all necessary support to the states in order to develop their agricultural potentials and contain the ravaging hunger in the country.
He made the pledge Monday in Minna, Niger State capital, at the official flag off of the state’s Agricultural Mechanisation and Revolution for Food Security Programme.
Tinubu was in Minna on a one-day working visit to commission the remodelled airport named after him and flag off the food security and agric mechanisation programme with over 500 farming equipment, including tractors procured by the state government.
Speaking at the event, the visibility elated Tinubu said the procurement of the massive farming equipment and the lofty ambition and zeal by Niger State to feed the nation have simply demonstrated the capacity of the nation to overcome its current hardship.
The President commended the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, for the initiative and urged state chief executives to provide land for ranching of livestock.
Tinubu said it is painful to see cows eat up crops cultivated by farmers and to see herders’ cattle being rustled by other citizens, emphasizing that all of those would be a thing of the past, on his watch, if governors are ready to make land available for ranching, adding that he would commence action in that regard in the next few weeks.
The President noted that perseverance can make a nation to be buoyant, and urged that it was time to reengineer the nation’s finances and move away from complaining.
He urged Governor Bago and by extension and by extension, other state governors to be aggressive in their desire to feed the nation, pledging that his administration would avail them all the necessary support to achieve that objective and development the necessary infrastructure.
“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.
Speaking further, President Tinubu urged the state government to pay wage award to their works in order to relieve them of the hunger in the land, and complimemt the efforts of the federal government while the new minimum wage is being negotiated.
“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.
Earlier in his remarks, Governor Bago explained that the state embarked on the ambitious project due to the realization that agriculture is a key to commitment to engender economic growth and infrastructure development.
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
Stating that Niger State has no reason to be poor, Bago urged President Tinubu to adopt it as pilot state for food security, noting that the state is well positioned to feed the country.
The governor called on the President for his further support in efforts to drive private investments.
He said the Niger is determined to farm all the ungoverned spaces in Niger with its boundary with a view to ending insecurity in the state.
While in Niger State, President Tinubu also visited former Nigerian Heads of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, and General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
