Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya on Friday met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa Abuja, where he discussed the developments in the country, especially the economy, food security, polity as well as the Kolmani integrated project.
Speaking to State House correspondents shortly after the closed-door meeting, Governor Inuwa said “our meeting with Mr. President has been very robust. We touched on all the issues, and I am satisfied and convinced that Nr. President is on the right track and he will continue to do his best to deliver on his mandate. I am sure he is aware of the challenges and is committed to seeing Nigeria out of the current situation.”
Speaking on the issue of food security, the Governor maintained that his administration is committed to supporting the federal government in all its initiatives targeted at enhancing agricultural productivity for sustained food security in the state, stating that his administration has keyed into the cassava production which has low input requirements and high yield potential.
“Apart from the 50 per cent discount we granted on the fertilizer price and other initiatives we are implementing to enhance productivity in the agricultural sector to ensure food security, we recently earmarked 500 hectares for cassava cultivation across the state to compliment other crops being produced in large quantity in the state”, the Governor said.
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Reflecting on his recent trip to Morocco, Governor Inuwa Yahaya highlighted the potential benefits of deepening economic and diplomatic ties with the North African country, saying Gombe state, being predominantly agrarian economy, tends to benefit greatly from the support of the Moroccan government and experts in advancing agricultural activities in the state.
“Our visit to Morocco was to seek for partnership and support to improve several critical sectors, most importantly the agricultural sector. Gombe is an agrarian state and we want to see our farmers graduate from subsistence into commercial farming in line with the current technological advancement,” he stated.
He noted Morocco’s impressive agricultural output despite its arid conditions, attributing this success to effective practices that Gombe State aims to adopt while fostering partnerships with the Moroccan entrepreneurs to boost livestock and crop production, which could significantly enhance food security.
The Governor also highlighted the steps taken by his administration to enhance livestock production and resilience through various projects and initiatives such as the World Bank-funded Livestock Production and Resilience Support Project for effective value chain strategies, job creation, and wealth enhancement for farmers and butchers.
“Gombe State is building an ultra-modern abattoir and cattle market to serve as a regional hub for livestock business activities. This will lead us to introduce modern technology, such as cold chain vehicles, to improve the efficiency and profitability of livestock transportation and processing.
The state government is also focusing on the Wawa-Zange Grazing Reserve to enhance food security, economic prosperity, and livestock productivity. Our plans include addressing water scarcity by drawing water from the Kupto River and installing solar-powered electricity, among other facilities”, he remarked.
Responding to a question on the Kolmani Integrated Development Project, the Governor lamented that its lack of progress almost two years after it was flagged off is frustrating, revealing that it was part of the reasons he met with the President.
He said: “the lack of progress on the Kolmani project is really a very unfortunate development. As you said, close to two years now after the foundation laying for an integrated in situ development comprising of 250 thousand capacity refinery, 350 mega watts of power plant and 2000 tons capacity fertiliser plant which was supposed to take off since then, but because I think there are some issues with the NNPC and also the partners that are engaged or developers, those issues really have strangled operation to take off.
“And in fact, it is part of the discussion I had with Mr. President believing that once he steps in may be we will see activities back for the fact that petroleum and gas are under the exclusive list, not much we can do.
“NNPC is the only company that is to handle anything gas or petroleum of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as such presidential intervention which I just came and sought for, will really make the things to turn back and activities will resume on the site as soon as possible.”
Director-General, Press Affairs, Ismaila Uba Misilli in a statement said Governor Inuwa also discussed ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity in Gombe State and the broader northern region, acknowledging the challenges posed by Boko Haram, banditry and other insurgencies while noting that Gombe has been relatively secure compared to other states.
“We have been doing a lot in order to ensure there is security for lives and property in Gombe, and the security agencies have been very supportive,” the Governor said while reiterating the importance of collaboration to restore security and address its root causes such as poverty and food crisis among others.
