By Cross Udo, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu told governors to continue to pay workers in their state employ wage awards until negotiations on a new minimum wage are concluded.
The President also said that Nigerians have no reason to be hungry as the country has the capacity to feed its people and has enough for export.
Tinubu, who stated the above when he flagged off the Food Security and Agricultural Mechanization Programme in Niger State, emphasized that his administration remained committed to ensuring food sufficiency and protecting local industries for sustainable economic growth.
The project, an initiative of the Niger State government, is for the deployment of cutting-edge agricultural machinery and technology for large-scale agro-value chain development in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration, President Tinubu said the event represented another step in the food security and agricultural mechanization agenda, declaring that Nigeria must enhance its capacity to feed its people and have enough for export.
Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, was quoted as saying, “We have seen the level of commitment here. We have seen leadership. The success of any leader will depend on the ability to do what needs to be done when it ought to be done.
“It is now time for us to address the challenges and make Nigeria an economy of opportunities. We must care for our people and reorient them. I do not see why Nigeria cannot feed all students in its schools.
“I know what it means for roaming cows to eat crops and the vegetation of our land. I know it is painful. But when we reorient the herder and make provision for cattle rearing, we can address that. You are the governors who are to provide us with land. As President, I am committed to providing a comprehensive programme that will solve this problem,” the President said.
He urged subnational governments to implement wage awards in their states as an immediate intervention measure to complement the federal government’s efforts to ease the burden of citizens pending an increase in the minimum wage.
He said, “I am equally here to partner with you to banish hunger. You are doing the job. And it is necessary for me to support you; it is mandatory for us Nigerians. When we read newspapers, some of us are confused about whether to abuse the past or the present or to make excuses for the future. But that is not in my dictionary. I think action now is needed to re-engineer the finances of our country and steer it on the right path.
“The student loan programme will commence. There will be unemployment benefits for our graduates. The social security benefits for older people and the vulnerable will commence. We are fine-tuning all of that area. We need to relieve our people of hunger. Let all the sub-nationals start paying wage awards, pending when the minimum wage increases. I am not giving an order; I am only appealing. NEC should adopt this,” the President said.
Appreciating the President for honoring his invitation and inaugurating the facilities, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago said four states, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, and Lagos, had already signed memoranda of understanding on building partnerships for the development of agriculture.
“Mr President, your presence here today underscores the importance of this occasion for our state in particular and Nigeria as a whole as we gather to celebrate a good example demonstrated in our modest contribution to infrastructure and agricultural development encapsulated in our New Niger Agenda.
“Agriculture is key to addressing the challenges in critical sectors of our economy, and we shall seize every opportunity to attain growth and engender prosperity for the people of our beloved state and, by extension, our country, Nigeria,” the Governor said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed that the federal government had signed an agreement with the Brazilian Government and German Deutsch Bank Group to finance a facility of 995 million euros for the Green Imperative Programme, which, when implemented, will provide mechanization hubs across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
“A memorandum of understanding was signed between the federal government and the John Deer Group, a subsidiary of Tata Equipment. The manufacturer has agreed to deliver 10,000 units of tractors and implement them in tranches of 2,000 units per annum for the next five years.
“The Greener Hope Initiative is another veritable platform the federal government is deploying to ultimately change the deficit narrative in the Nigerian agricultural mechanization space,” he added.
While in Niger State, President Tinubu also visited former Nigerian Heads of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, with whom he had fruitful discussions concerning the advancement of the nation.
