Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has inaugurated the deployment of over 375 refurbished tractors to support mechanised farming efforts across the country. The initiative, driven by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), forms part of the broader National Assets Restoration Programme (NARP), aimed at revitalising idle public infrastructure to boost economic productivity.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Sunday at the Borno State Agricultural Mechanisation Agency in Maiduguri. Addressing attendees, Vice President Shettima described the programme as a “landmark shift” in the country’s approach to sustainability and innovation.
“This initiative is our response to the longstanding issue of abandoned and poorly maintained national assets,” Shettima said. “It reflects a new way of thinking—one rooted in value creation and resourcefulness. Through NARP, we’re not just restoring machines; we are reigniting national potential.”
He linked the restoration effort to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader economic vision, which prioritises self-reliance and diversification through strategic investment in agriculture, industry, and innovation. “Our aim is to ease Nigeria’s transition towards a more productive and inclusive economy,” Shettima added.
The Vice President praised NASENI for its leadership in the project, describing the agency as a “nerve centre for homegrown engineering and adaptive innovation.” He called on all levels of government to support NASENI’s mission.
A Vision Years in the Making
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, in his remarks, credited the foundation of this project to Vice President Shettima’s earlier leadership as Governor of Borno. “He procured 1,000 tractors with their implements during his tenure,” Zulum noted. “This remains the single largest agricultural investment by any Nigerian state, and today’s launch builds directly upon that legacy.”
Governor Zulum commended NASENI for restoring the state’s dilapidated tractors without demanding financial reimbursement, calling it “an extraordinary gesture of national service.”
Engineering Solutions for Nigerian Challenges
NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, stressed that the agency’s work proves that “Nigerian problems can be solved with Nigerian-engineered solutions.”
Highlighting the rationale behind the National Asset Restoration Programme, Halilu explained that tens of thousands of agricultural and security assets across Nigeria had been left inoperable—not due to irreparable damage, but for lack of a structured restoration framework.
“Our survey revealed over 47,000 such assets,” he said. “To replace them would cost more than ₦14 trillion. But with our approach, we can restore them to full functionality at just 15 to 25% of the replacement cost, potentially saving Nigeria over ₦10 trillion.”
He thanked the Tinubu administration for its unwavering support and praised Governor Zulum for his commitment to transforming Borno into the first regional hub in this nationwide recovery effort.
Driving Food Security
Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, welcomed the development as a timely boost to Nigeria’s food security ambitions under the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He applauded NASENI’s leadership, saying the initiative would help address the chronic shortage of functional farming machinery across the country.
Earlier, Engr. Mohammed Yadudu, NASENI’s Asset Restore Programme Coordinator, explained how the agency partnered with Machine and Equipment Corporation Africa (MECA) to begin restoring disused government machinery in December 2024. “What many considered scrap, we saw as untapped national value,” he said.
High-Level Attendance
The ceremony drew a host of senior dignitaries, including Engr. Jennifer Adighije, MD/CEO of Niger Delta Power Holding Company; Dr. Mohammed Bulama, Director General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria; Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities; and members of the Borno State Executive Council.
Also present were Dr. Muhammed Dahiru, Chair of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer; Borno State Commissioner of Agriculture, Engr. Bawu Musami; and Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, alongside other federal and state officials.
With Borno now serving as the starting point, NASENI’s restoration drive is expected to scale nationwide, targeting thousands of neglected public assets with the aim of driving productivity, job creation, and technological capacity across sectors.
