New Telegraph

NADF Boss To Varsity Students: Agricultural Transformation Lies In Your Hands

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Mohammed Ibrahim, has charged the graduating students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, to live up to the challenges of transforming Agriculture in Nigeria.

Ibrahim who spoke over the weekend during the Institution’s 32nd Convocation Ceremony in Abeokuta, noted that the school was not churning the students out to go and be submerged in the labour market but to provide the needed solutions to the country’s insufficient food production.

He urged them to use their specialised knowledge acquired from years of learning to advance the cause of improved and technologically driven agriculture.

According to him, Nigeria can no longer remain in subsistence agriculture, which has been proven to be one of the albatross to real agricultural development.

Ibrahim said, “Be the generation that transforms agriculture from a sector of subsistence to one of abundance and prosperity.

Imagine this: a farmer in a small village in Nigeria. Every planting season, he carefully selects seeds—his most prized possession. To an outsider, it may look insignificant: small, plain, and fragile. But to him, these seeds represent hope,
opportunity, and transformation.

“When he plants it, he isn’t just cultivating food for his family. The seeds grow into crops that supply a market, strengthen their community, and provide income.

His harvest finds its way to larger markets, sparking economic activity far beyond his village. Traders, transporters, and vendors—all benefit from the simple act of planting the seeds.

Now, multiply his story by millions of farmers across Nigeria. Picture what happens when those seeds become part of a larger, strategic effort—supported by policies, investments, and innovation”.

Ibrahim also disclosed that the Federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu has enunciated policies meant to mechanise the country’s agriculture.

He said, ” We are currently working on building a robust framework for emergency response within the Agric sector so that we are not only able to swiftly respond but we are also able to authenticate and refine the need for expending public funds.

” Driving Mechanization: The next transformative challenge ahead of us is the Federal Government directive for NADF to implement one of its mechanisation
programmes in partnership with John Deere and TATA Africa Services. The project entails the deployment of 10,000 tractors over a period of 5 years,
starting with 2000 units this year. This initiative will create jobs, boost crop yields, and make Nigerian agriculture globally competitive.

” Building Partnerships: At NADF, we acknowledge the important role of partnerships and collaboration in resource mobilisation and optimization of
scale. Thus far, we have had engagements with numerous development partners, government agencies and sub-nationals.

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