The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has stated that Nigeria’s economy is growing fast following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms.
According to him, the incumbent administration is committed to revitalizing Nigeria and ensuring it embarks on a sustainable path toward growth and development.
OsunDailyNG reports that the governor recognized that while implementing the President’s ambitious policies has faced challenges and caused some difficulties for Nigerians, these hardships are only temporary.
Governor Sani expressed this during a welcome address at a one-day lecture organized by the Arewa Think Tank on Tuesday, urging that with a bit more patience and perseverance, “we will soon begin to enjoy the benefits of the reforms.”
The Kaduna State Governor highlighted that the transformation of Nigeria and the enhancement of citizens’ lives must prioritize agriculture.
He reminded attendees that “at the time of independence, agriculture was the backbone of the Nigerian economy. The three regions effectively harnessed agricultural resources to build essential infrastructure and develop human capital.”
“In fact, we are already turning the corner. The economy is fast improving. Very soon the positive impact of the reforms would be felt by Nigerians. What the President needs at this critical time is the support of our people.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visionary and transformative policy thrust, aimed at repositioning Nigeria as a global investment hub.
“The Agenda which is anchored on the core pillars of democracy, development and diaspora engagement, is being vigorously pursued with courage and patriotic zeal,” he said.
Sani, however, lamented that “due to the discovery of oil, we abandoned Agriculture. We are the poorer for it. We must return to Agriculture and invest heavily in it. It holds the key to addressing the challenges of poverty, unemployment and insecurity.”
He maintained that “President Bola Tinubu is already showing us the way. His administration has prioritized Agriculture and is investing heavily in mechanization and empowerment of smallholder farmers.”
According to Governor Sani, Tinubu’s investment in agriculture is unequal in the history of administrations in Nigeria.
“Mr. President has equally been giving sustained assistance to subnationals in respect of funds and agricultural inputs.
“Mr. President recently made history by creating the Ministry of Livestock Development which holds the potential of making Nigeria the leading producer of livestock in Africa,” he added.
The governor said that the main policy thrust of his administration is the rural transformation of Kaduna State, adding that “We are committed to promoting accelerated rural development by extending infrastructure to all local government areas with the goal of supporting our rural communities to achieve rapid economic growth.”
He maintained that “with an average annual production of staple crops such as maize, millet, and sorghum reaching over 2 million metric tonnes, making Kaduna State the largest producer of Maize in Nigeria and the sole producer of one of the best Ginger species in the world.
“Kaduna is also blessed with rich, arable and uncultivated soil; however, we are yet to fully unlock its potential. Through targeted funding, we aim to scale up irrigation farming, particularly along the Kaduna River basin, and provide mechanization support to our farmers.”
Sani revealed that his administration has made significant investments in the mechanization and micro-mechanization of the agricultural sector.
During the 2024 farming season, we provided 500 trucks of fertilizer, distributing 240,000 bags at no cost to 120,000 smallholder farmers.
“Additionally, we supplied farm inputs to thousands of beneficiaries through the Tallafin Noma (A Koma Noma) Scheme.
“By eliminating financial obstacles to agricultural inputs, we have empowered our farmers to cultivate with assurance, ensuring that our state will benefit from increased productivity and income,” Governor Sani stated.
