By Tahir Ibrahim Tahir Talban Bauchi.
It is more than evident that Gov. Mohammed Umar Bago has turned Niger state into one huge construction site, repairing, upgrading and building on practically every bad road you can think of in Niger state. Gov. Bago is not only delivering on state roads, he is intervening on 18 Federal roads in the state, which prompted the Minister of Works Dave Umahi to commend the governor. He described the governor’s efforts as unprecedented, noting that Bago had shown exemplary leadership. The minister called on other governors to emulate Bago and stressed his commitment to ensuring effective and consistent project supervision. Bago’s infrastructure revolution is delivering 100kms of roads across the state, with 400kms of Federal roads receiving due attention. But this alone is not what Bago is gaining commendations for..
The Federal House of Representatives also just recently lauded the governor over his state’s agricultural revolution programmes. The commendation followed a motion of personal explanation moved by Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos) on the 26th of November, 2024. He said that it is important to highlight efforts made by sub-national governments to enhance food security. He said that he was called by a military general from Cameroon who studies at Harvard, and he was full of praises for the governor’s agricultural revolution. This was reported by Premium Times on the 27th of November, 2024. Over 250,000 hectares of land had been committed to sugarcane farming in Niger state, showing an unrivalled passion for agricultural development by the governor. The agricultural revolution strides of Gov. Bago is giving us hope that indeed the North still has leaders that have foresight and are committed to uplifting the region from its painful state.
Just recently, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, had commissioned a team of Nigerian officials and private sector players to take advantage of the G20 Leader’s Summit in Rio to conduct a study tour of Sao Paulo and explore livestock development, meat processing, seed development and multiplication for key grains. The Minister for Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar who led the delegation, reported to Mr. President that JBS S.A had been chosen as a partner, being the 2nd largest meat processing company in the world with the capacity to process 33,000 cattle and over eight million birds daily. The company boasts of about $79 billion dollars revenue for the year 2024. They were selected by Mr. President’s committee based on their global reach, integrated nature of their operations, and deployment of technology in their operations. The Federal Government and JBS have signed a $2.5 billion dollars Investment partnership in Nigeria’s livestock industry.
Who else to drive this livestock Investment Initiative of Mr. President other than the ‘Farmer Governor’? Gov. Umar Bago is providing 1.2 million hectares of land to the project! Niger state has the largest land mass in Nigeria, covering a whopping 76,363 square kilometres, so Niger would be the best habitat for such a huge investment. The land earmarked would be used for pasture production, ranching, and livestock farming. All these would be modeled after Brazil’s successful agricultural processes in livestock farming. Niger state is home to the largest livestock population of Nigeria, and with this initiative, it is set to become the major production hub for technologically advanced livestock farming in Nigeria and West Africa as a whole. During the signing of this agreement between Nigeria and JBS Group of Brazil, Mr. President emphasised the importance of agriculture in tackling hunger and spurring economic growth. “With Niger state’s dedication and Brazil’s expertise, we are charting a new course for prosperity in Nigeria, President Tinubu said. He also pledged to work closely with Niger state to ensure the project not only strengthens food security but, creates employment and business opportunities for Nigerians especially the youth population.
Gov. Bago at the signing of this historic agreement further highlighted the investment’s broader economic impact. The venture is envisaged to create at least a million new jobs, 100,000 new homes in farm estates and the development of over 100 agricultural facilities. He pointed out that the Sokoto-Badagry expressway which passes through Niger State, sitting on 125kms of Niger state land is one of the key enablers of the livestock Investment project. In line with his agricultural revolution agenda, Niger state in collaboration with Nigeria Sugar Development Council has also secured a deal with UTTAM SUCROTECH, to revive Nigeria’s sugar industry. If you do recall, about 250,000 hectares had already been committed to sugarcane production in Niger state. With these developments, Bago is set to claim his name as the Farmer Governor he is being nicknamed. These kinds of investments are what the nation needs to drive growth and development and improve our GDP tremendously. Jigawa is driving the production of wheat, cultivating over 55,000 hectares last year. Agriculture is the mainstay of the north and can drive the nations non oil revenues faster than expected. As it is Nigeria needs two or three more Farmer Governors to be able to shore up our agricultural production. The FG can only provide incentives and investment opportunities. The delivery lies in the hands of the state governors. I do sincerely wish Bago all the best in this venture, as we look forward to Niger state/ JBS exports in the nearest future.
