Niger State Government has entered into a N50 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the supply of sesame seeds, soy beans, maize, and paddy rice to Tropical General Investment Limited.
The agreement was sealed yesterday at the Niger State Government Lodge in Abuja. Tropical General Investment is the owner of Union Bank of Nigeria.
The Chairman of Niger Food Security Systems and Log Limited, Mr. Sammy Adigun, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, Dr. Murtala Bagana, signed on behalf of the state government, while the Director of Tropical General Investment, Sadiq Kassim, signed on behalf of Union Bank.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who described the agreement as historic, expressed optimism that it would allow the state to create a lot of value chains from the production, cropping, and processing of other agricultural produce.
He said the state's agricultural potential was enormous, reassuring the partners that the state will meet the supply needs of the company as contained in the agreement and expressed hope for a continuous partnership with the financial institution.
The governor disclosed further that 100 million euros have been invested into the Sun-Farm initiative of the state government to have greenhouses covered by solar-powered cells for sustainable farms.
Chairman, Union Bank, and Executive Vice Chairman, Tropical General Investment, Alh. Farouq Gumel, said the agreement with the state government will help the company meet global needs.
Alhaji Gumel, while assuring the governor that it would deliver on its side of the deal, thanked him for the opportunity to pilot an idea that has been conceived for many years.
Chairman, Niger Food Security Systems and Log Limited, Sammy Adigun, said the state will supply 500,000 metric tonnes of the four crops to Tropical Investment in the next year and one million metric tonnes in two years.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved 41 academic programmes for the taking off of the Niger State University of Education, christened Abdulkadir Ƙure University of Education, for the 2023–2024 academic session.
The Chairman of the Implementation Committee for the taking off of the university, Prof. Mohammed Kuta Yahaya, made this disclosure during an International Press Conference to inform the public on the progress made so far by the committee towards the smooth taking off of the specialized university.
He said the committee presented about 41 programmes under four faculties, namely, the Faculty of Science Education, the Faculty of Education, and the Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, to the NUC, and they were all approved for full-time programmes.
Prof. Kuta Yahaya observed that the revalidation of the earlier approval of the Niger State University of Education on September 28, 2023, and the subsequent inauguration of an Implementation Committee by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, which according to him was historic and worthy of commendation, had explicitly shown the vision and commitment of the present administration to educational development.
He disclosed that immediately after their inauguration, they swung into action by taking inventory of the physical facilities, understudying the legacy documents, partnering with relevant stakeholders, and paying visits to JAMB and NUC, which gave birth to the resource verification exercise visit by a team from NUC last week.
The implementation committee chairman disclosed that the outcome of the resource verification exercise was positive, adding that the dream of the committee was to commence academic activities in the 2024–2025 session but got approval for the session to begin in the 2023–2024 session.
"We are pleased to inform the general public that NUC has graciously approved forty-one (41) full-time courses in four (4) faculties with effect from the 2023–2024 academic session," said Prof. Kuta Yahaya.
While appreciating and congratulating Governor Umaru Bago for the achievement and his support for the committee, the chairman promised that they would embark on an aggressive media campaign to promote and project the image of the institution within and beyond the shores of the state and country.
On his part, the Provost of Niger State College of Education and Ag. Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Yakubu Auna, who is also a member of the committee, appreciated the leadership style of the implementation committee chairman, adding that the university had come to stay and needed the support of all to grow.
