Gov Uba Sani of Kaduna State says President Bola Tinubu is determined to reset Nigeria, with a view to putting it on the path to sustainable growth and development.
Sani said this on Tuesday in Kaduna in his welcome address at a one-day lecture organised by an Arewa Think-Tank in Kaduna.
Acknowledging that the implementation of the president’s bold policies had not been without challenges and pains for Nigerians, he said that the pains were temporary.
Sani said that with just a little more patience and perseverance, Nigeriand would soon start reaping the fruits of the reforms.
He said: ‘’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 Tinubu’s visionary and transformative policy thrust, aimed at repositioning Nigeria as a global investment hub.”
Sani said that the agenda, which was anchored on the core pillars of democracy, development and diaspora engagement, was being vigorously pursued with courage and patriotic zeal.
According to him, the transformation of Nigeria and giving Nigerians a new lease of life must give priority attention to Aagriculture.
Sani recalled: ‘’At independence, Aagriculture was the mainstay of the Nigerian economy.
“The three regions effectively utilised resources from agriculture to build critical infrastructure and develop human capital.
‘’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.‘’
The Governor daid that the president was already showing the way, adding that his administration had prioritised agriculture.
He added that Tinubu was investing heavily in mechanisation and empowerment of smallholder farmers.
Sani said that the president’s investment in agriculture was unequalled 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.
Sani said that the rural transformation of the state was the main policy thrust of his own administration.
“We are committed to promoting accelerated rural development by extending infrastructure to all local government areas.
“This is with the goal of supporting our rural communities to achieve rapid economic growth,
‘’We have an average annual production of staple crops such as maize, millet, and sorghum reaching over 2 million metric tonnes.
“This is making Kaduna State the largest producer of Maize in Nigeria and the sole producer of one of the best Ginger species in the world.”
According to Sani, Kaduna is also blessed with rich, arable and uncultivated soil.
Sani said: “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 mechanisation support to our farmers.’’
He disclosed that the administration had invested heavily in both mechanisation and micro-mechanisation of the agricultural sector.
‘’In the 2024 farming season, we distributed 500 trucks of fertilizer, from which 240,000 bags were given out free to 120,000 smallholder farmers.
“We also distributed farm inputs to thousands of beneficiaries under the Tallafin Noma (A Koma Noma) Scheme.
‘’By removing the financial barriers to agricultural inputs, we ensured that our farmers can cultivate with confidence and that our state will reap the rewards of higher productivity and income,’’ he said.
The Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Mr Sunday Dare, Chairman of the occasion, former Chief of Defence Staff, retired Gen. Martin Luther-Agwai and Sani, were all given awards by the think-tank. (NAN)
