… Flags off 2026 farming season in Niger
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu on Saturday, disclosed that Nigeria is now ready to feed itself, saying “Food availability and affordability are now treated as national priorities.”
The first lady made this known at the official flag-off ceremony of the 2026 farming season at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu airport, Minna.
According to her, “Niger state has earned its place as one of Nigeria’s leading agricultural hubs; this is a bold statement that Nigeria is ready to feed itself.
“It signals a deliberate transition from subsistence practices to modern, mechanised and commercially viable agriculture.
“This gesture will no doubt empower our farmers with the tools needed to increase productivity, enhance livelihoods and strengthen our GDP. President Bola Tinubu had made it clear that food availability and affordability must be treated as national priorities.
“With the direct support to farmers through the release of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs, this initiative by the Niger state government aligns with the vision of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President on boosting agriculture for food self-sufficiency”.
While commending farmers and describing them as the backbone of the nation’s survival, she urged beneficiaries to make the best of the tools and fertilisers.
Senator Remi Tinubu also took time to rate the 7th Assembly 2011 to 2015, 8th Assembly, 2015 to 2019 and the 9th Assembly of 2019 to 2023 higher than any other Assembly at the Nigerian Senate.
Accordingly, she said while recognising her colleagues during her time at the senate, “it is always a pleasure to see all of you. And that was when the Senate was really-really good. Don’t you think so?
In his remarks, Governor Umaru Bago said Minna is an emerging agricultural hub of the nation, saying, “We will distribute the tractors across the 25 LGAs in the state, 1,500 farming implements, 150,000 bags of fertilisers.”
He commended the President for removing fuel subsidy, adding that “it is what has given us the impetus to do what we are doing today. We have achieved significant progress in the agricultural sector.”
Governor Bago, while calling on farmers to utilise the equipment and inputs judiciously for the betterment of the state, said agriculture remains topmost in the State’s priority.
According to Governor Bago, “today, we are not only formally opening a farming season, but we are also delivering tools and inputs that will change the lives of many Nigerlites and improve the entire agriculture chain beyond the state”.
He then disclosed that 250 (75Hp) tractors were to be distributed across the 25 LGAs (10 per LGA), 50 combined multi-crop harvesters to cut harvest time and reduce post-harvest losses of between 40 and 90 per cent, depending on the crop.
Accordingly, he said “we have 1,500 farming implements comprising planters, boom sprayers, ploughs, harrows, 150,000 bags of fertilisers to support 40,000 small holder farmers across the 25 LGAs.
“The investments will support farming activities on 120,000 hectares of land and will create about 2,000 direct jobs and roughly 100,000 indirect jobs with an estimated 500,000 tons of assorted food products of both wet and dry season farming”.
