Niger, Gombe governors meet Tinubu, discuss food security
The governors of Niger and Gombe states, Mohammed Bago and Inuwa Yahaya, respectively, met with President Bola Tinubu on Thursday to discuss how they can collaborate with the federal government to achieve food security in the country.
The meeting came after Tinubu’s New Year’s speech, in which he emphasised the need to invest in agriculture and revealed the government’s plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmland across the nation for the cultivation of maize, rice, wheat, millet, and other staple crops.
Bago, who spoke to journalists after the meeting, said that Niger State had reserved half of the targeted hectares of land for dry-season farming. He added that the state had signed agreements with various private and government entities, including the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and Tata Group of Companies, to enhance agricultural output.
He said, “We’re about to do a total of 250,000 hectares of dry-season farming, for which we’ve already signed agreements with some companies for off-take and just to keep him up to speed with what we’re doing in agriculture.”
Yahaya, on his part, said he came to update the president on the progress of his administration and the implementation of the 2024 budget. He said he also presented the scorecard of his first term, which covered all the sectors of development in Gombe State.
He said, “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.”
Tinubu, who is serving his second term as president, has been praised for his economic policies and reforms, especially in the areas of agriculture, infrastructure, and security. He has also been criticised by some opposition parties and civil society groups for his alleged authoritarian tendencies and human rights violations.
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