President Ahmed Bola Tinubu has called upon governors across the country to allocate land for herders to graze their cattle.
President Tinubu made these statement during the flag-off ceremony of the agricultural mechanization revolution for food security and the commissioning of the renovated domestic terminal at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna, Niger state. He spoke about the need for collective action among governors to combat hunger and improve agricultural productivity.
Tinubu said, “You must care for our people, re-orientate our farming population including livestock programme. I don’t see why Nigeria cannot feed all the pupils in our schools with one pint of milk daily if our dairy system is well harnessed.
“I know what it means as an economic sabotage for roaming cows to eat up the crops and vegetation of our lands; it could be painful but when we re-orientate the herders and make provision for cattle rearing, the problems will be solved.”
“The Governors should provide the lands and I as the President, I am committed in giving you a comprehensive programme that will solve this problem towards banishing hunger from the land,”
He stated the importance of reorienting both farmers and herders and giving sufficient assistance for livestock programmes, urged governors to provide suitable land for grazing and assured them that the federal government will implement a programme to address the problem and reduce hunger nationwide.
Addressing concerns over the financial burden, he encouraged states to begin implementing wage awards to alleviate the economic strain on the populace.
“Please, I am not giving an order, I am appealing to you states, start paying the wages awards, let everyone start paying it. It is a relief to the people. The mechanism is that it won’t be inflationary. If we do the new minimum wage, they would have gotten used to it,” He also pledged to initiate student loan programs, unemployment benefits for graduates, and social security schemes for the elderly and vulnerable.
Governor Farmer Umar Bago of Niger state also spoke about the important role of agriculture in addressing economic challenges. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fostering growth and prosperity through agricultural development initiatives.t
