President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the governors of the 36 states to meet food security targets to enhance agricultural productivity and bolster the economy.
During the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Thursday, the president urged the governors to collaborate to address the needs of citizens.
He expressed his readiness to provide necessary support to alleviate the current economic difficulties faced by Nigerians.
The president also authorized the immediate launch of the National Construction and Household Support Programme, which will encompass all geo-political zones in the country. This initiative aims to create opportunities in the manufacturing and construction sectors and offer urgent economic relief for Nigerians.
The Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will pass through Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos states, will be a priority under the national construction programme.
Other key road projects, including the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Trans-Saharan Highway linking Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja, will also be prioritized.
Additionally, the president approved full counterpart financing for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway, which will pass through Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno states, as well as the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway, passing through Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano states.
The Sokoto-Badagry road project is specifically prioritized due to its strategic importance for the nation’s agricultural sustainability, with 216 agricultural communities, 58 large and medium dams, seven Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), 156 local government areas, 39 commercial cities and towns, and over 1 million hectares of arable land along its corridor.
The federal government also approved a $1 billion agriculture mechanization programme to establish 1000 agro-sector service providers across the country with tractors.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, announced this after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“We’ll have a minimum of 2000 tractors a year for the next five years and all other aggregation of agricultural commodities is going to be utilized at least nothing less than 600,000 youths to man these 1000 service centers,” he said.
He added that the project was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Tuesday and will be implemented soon.
An arrangement with John Deere and Tata will provide 2000 tractors before the end of the year.
The Greener Imperative Project, a €950 million initiative, will also be unveiled soon.
A deal with Belarus Tractors is anticipated to supply 2000 tractors per year for the next five years, along with 9000 implements and spare parts.
Saudi Arabia has shown interest in purchasing 200,000 metric tons of red meat and one million tonnes of soybeans from Nigeria annually.