Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has said the state will soon cease to be regarded as a civil service state, pointing out that his aggressive agricultural programmes will transition it from a civil service to an agricultural hub of the nation.
The governor stated this Tuesday at Government House, Minna, after an agreement with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Niger state chapter to cultivate about 550,000 hectares of land by 35,000 farmers.
Governor Umaru Bago said the state government was investing five billion dollars, with most of the investment centred on mechanisation, where 300 tractors and other farming equipment will soon be shipped to the state.
While assuring the partners that the government will secure farmlands and all arable lands will be cleared to drive away all criminal elements, he said security of lives and property remains paramount to his government.
He appealed for total commitment from AFAN for the agreement to achieve the desired result.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Alh. Musa Bawa Bosso, and the Chairman, Niger Food Security Systems and Logistics Company Limited, Chief Sammy Adigun, signed on behalf of the state government, while AFAN chairman, Niger State Chapter, Alh. Shehu Galadima, signed on behalf of the association.
In the agreement, AFAN will serve as outgrowers of different kinds of food for 2024 dry season farming, while the Niger State Government will provide 550,000 hectares of land to 35,000 farmers to produce three million metric tonnes of food.
The farmers are to use their own land and water resources, while the state government will provide them with inputs worth N30 billion.
According to the agreement, the state government will recoup its money from the produce, and 40 percent of the profit will go to the farmers, while the government will take the remaining 60 percent.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who described the agreement as a milestone in his revolutionary plans for the agricultural sector, said the state has no singular reason to remain poor, and his administration will work hard to create wealth for its citizens through agriculture.
Chairman of the AFAN Niger State Chapter, Alh. Shehu Galadima, appreciated the governor for his foresight in revamping the sector, adding that a lot has changed for the better since the inception of his administration.
He added that the agreement signed would make farming a business venture and would add value to the economy of the state.
Chairman, Niger Food Security Systems and Logistics Company Limited, Chief Sammy Adigun, said the agreement entered into will serve as an invitation to others to join the farming business and tap into the enormous wealth that abounds in it.