From Abdullahi Idris,Dutse
Governor Umar Namadi, has outlined the Jigawa State Government’s efforts to modernise agriculture, expand irrigation and mechanisation, strengthen agricultural research and promote technical and vocational education.
The Governor spoke at Government House, Dutse, when the National Executive Council (NEC), of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by its National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, paid him a courtesy visit on the sidelines of the union’s NEC meeting in Jigawa State.
Governor Namadi thanked the NUJ leadership for choosing Jigawa State to host its national meeting, saying the engagement was an opportunity to exchange ideas and showcase some of the development initiatives being implemented across the state.
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He also appreciated the positive observations made by members of the union after visiting some government projects and programmes.
The Governor said agriculture remained a major priority of the administration because between 80 and 90 per cent of Jigawa’s population depended on it for their livelihoods, adding that the government had developed a science-based agricultural policy and established institutions to drive transformation across the sector.
“Agriculture is the mainstay of our economy. As of today, 80 to 90% of our people rely on agriculture as a means of their livelihood. So any serious government would like to take care of 80 to 90% of its people,” he said.
Governor Namadi said the administration was investing in irrigation, mechanisation, agricultural extension, research and value addition to make farming more productive and profitable.
He stated that the State had established 60 agricultural service centres supported by machinery, mechanics, drivers, managers and booking agents to improve farmers’ access to mechanised services.
He also highlighted the revitalisation of the Jigawa Research Institute in Kazaure, aimed at improving yields and providing farmers with reliable information on crops best suited to different parts of the state.
“We are approaching agriculture differently, and our solution there is to make agriculture a business, not just a means of feeding a family.”
On skills development, Governor Namadi said the State had established eight centres of excellence for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), in addition to seven technical secondary schools, disclosing that the State Executive Council had approved the training of 100 people in India and China in various technical trades to strengthen the institutions’ capacity.
Speaking earlier, the NUJ National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, commended Governor Namadi for supporting the union and for the development initiatives witnessed by members during their visit to Jigawa State, as he particularly praised the administration’s approach to monitoring projects and appealed for further investment in journalism education and support for media practitioners and veterans.
“Your Excellency, today we are here, and I must begin by appreciating you and commending you for the support for this meeting. And it may also interest you to know this is the first time in 12 years we are having NEC meeting in Jigawa State. Your Excellency, we are in Jigawa; you have done wonderfully well in this regard.”
Your Excellency, as journalists, we always go around, and we saw you, and we follow your antecedents. We saw how you move around inspecting projects, challenging contractors that are doing badly, and appreciating those that are doing wonderfully well. This is what we call accountability. As the leader of this union, I must commend you in this regard for that initiative, and I hope and pray other governors will come and emulate that gesture.”
