Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has said that President Bola Tinubu is determined to reset Nigeria and put it irreversibly on the path to sustainable growth and development.
The Governor acknowledged that the implementation of the president’s bold policies have not been without challenges and pains for Nigerians but clarified that the pains are temporary.
Governor Uba Sani who made this known at a one-day lecture organised by Arewa Think Tank in his welcome address on Tuesday, said with just a little more patience and perseverance ‘’we shall start reaping the fruits of the reforms. ‘’
’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,’’ he added.
‘’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 further said.
According to the Governor, the transformation of Nigeria and giving Nigerians a new lease of life must give priority attention to Agriculture.
Governor Uba Sani recalled that ‘’at independence, Agriculture was the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. The three regions effectively utilized resources from Agriculture to build critical infrastructure and develop human capital. ‘’
He 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. ‘’
The Governor however maintained that ‘’President Bola Ahmed 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 Uba Sani, Tinubu’s investment in Agriculture is 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.
The Governor said that the main policy thrust of his administration is 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,’’ he added.
The Governor disclosed that ‘’our administration has invested heavily in both mechanization and micro-mechanization 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 added.
Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Mr Sunday Dare, Chairman of the occasion and former Chief of Defence Staff, retired General Martin Luther Agwai and Governor Uba Sani were all given awards by the Arewa Think Tank.
