Vice President Kashim Shettima on Friday assured enhanced Federal Government support for Nasarawa State government’s agricultural programmes.
Shettima gave the assurance when he inaugurated the distribution of tractors, Jangwa Paddy to the 13 Local Government Chairmen and relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the paddy distributed was part of the harvest from the state-owned Rice Farm in Jangwa, an initiative to key into the Federal Government’s food security programme.
The event also featured the graduation of over 1,000 trained technicians of the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute in Lafia.
Shettima said empowering residents with tractors and other agricultural implements was essential for the country to record progress in agriculture.
He noted that agriculture was all about increased yield, adding that without mechanisation and imbibing modern agricultural practices, increase in yield would be elusive.
The Vice-President described Nasarawa as the agricultural power house of the nation, and that beyond being the home of solid minerals, the state was in a position to feed the whole nation.
“The Federal Government under the able leadership of President Bola Tinubu will continue to render whatever support necessary to see that this nation gets out of the wood.
“And luckily we have crossed the rubicon and we are on a path to sustained growth. I believe the worst is over.
“The economy is picking up and by the grace of God we are going to record pumper harvest in the upcoming agricultural season,” he said.
He commended Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa for his examplary leadership and for his accomplishments in agriculture.
“The people of Nasarawa State will not appreciate this man (Gov. Sule) until he is no longer on the seat,” Shettima said.
He said the ongoing reforms initiated by President Tinubu’s administration would create employment opportunities for the youth and provide greater opportunities in the various sectors of the economy.
He underscored the importance of skills acquisition by the youth, noting that the nation could no longer afford to keep growing a population of idle, unemployed and unemployable youths.
“The danger of paying lip service to technical and vocational skills acquisition is one none of us is prepared to experience.
“The examples of various low- and middle-income countries, especially the Asian Tigers, are there to inspire the direction of our National Development Plans and push our economic drive towards a destination we all desire – a place of boom.
“This is why His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu has championed economic reforms beyond the usual cosmetic fixes to lay the groundwork for greater opportunities ahead,” said Shettima.
Earlier, Sule said the skills programme of the state’s Vocational and Technology iInstitute was designed to address the skills gap in critical sectors and empower young Nigerians.
He thanked Shettima for visiting the state and for supporting its modest contributions to economic transformation and youth empowerment.
In his remarks, Sen. Simon Lalong, former Plateau Governor, praised the courage and efforts of Nasarawa government in impacting the lives of young Nigerians through vocational training.
On his part, His Lordship, Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, applauded Nasarawa government for its efforts in addressing poverty through skills acquisition and economic empowerment.
He emphasised the significance of empowering young people with skills to impact their communities.
Dr Daniel Ewuga, the institute’s Executive Director, said the 1,000 graduands of the 2024 programme of the institute had undergone rigorous training and acquired skills that relevant to contemporary challenges of their communities and state at large.
