Nasarawa State came alive recently with the official visit of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima. The streets were draped in effervescent and suffusing colours, with the people gaily dressed and in celebration mood as they played host to the number two citizens of the nation.

Governor Abdullahi Sule led the throng of people, including members of the State Executive Council, traditional rulers, political and religious leaders as well as business people and others, to welcome the Vice President and his team who were in the state on a one-day visit.

The visit was an engaging one, with Shettima saddled with a number of official activities on the economic front. They were activities designed to pilot the development and growth of the state with particular reference to infrastructure development.

Economic activities

First, was the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of the multi-million One-stop Shop Investment Centre in Lafia, the state capital. Shettima thereafter also inaugurated the 1,128 trainees of the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute in Lafia.

The trainees had been taught various skills acquisition, ranging from brick making, tailoring, automobile, electrical and electronics, to Information Communication Technology (ICT), among others. They were also presented with start-up packs and certificates.

The programme was initiated by Governor Sule. Shettima also flagged off distribution of relief materials to thousands of flood disaster victims in various parts of the state, he also inspected a warehouse at Olam Farm stocked with government rice harvested from the cultivated 2, 000 hectares of the 10, 000 hectares of farm land acquired by the Nasarawa State Government for the Outgrower Scheme.

The visit of the Vice President once again highlighted the commitment of the Governor Sule-led administration to the development of the Solid Minerals State. Besides spotlighting the North-central geo-political zone of the state, it also boosted the socio-economic activities of the state as both small and medium scale business witnessed increased sales during the visit.

Following Tinubu’s footstep

Shettima’s visit to the state came barely a few months after President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, visited the state for the inauguration of the Lithium Plant built by Avarta in the Nasarawa Local Government Area.

On the occasion, the President poured encomiums on the governor and commended him for his unmatched achievements in the area of mineral and mining development, noting that this has contributed significantly to the nation’s federal allocation in recent times.

Tinubu had in October 1, 2024 address marking the 64th Independent Anniversary Celebration of Nigeria, lauded Sule for embracing the agricultural production programme of his administration, which is aimed at boosting the food security programme of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Gains of reforms

Speaking while flagging off the programme and distribution of tractors to the 13 local government areas and individual farmers in Lafia, Shettima said the Nigerian economy was recovering progressively.

Shettima stated that the ongoing reforms embarked upon by the Tinubu-led administration were such that would create employment opportunities for the youths as well as provide greater opportunities in various sectors of the economy.

He described Nasarawa State as an agricultural powerhouse of the nation, assuring that the Nigerian economy was picking up, and that the country was going to record a bumper harvest this year.

The Vice President further said that Nasarawa State has taken a practical lead in production of food to feed the nation, saying the federal government would continue to support the state in any way possible in its determination to fight food security aimed at addressing the food crisis in the country.

“The Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, will continue to identify with Nasarawa State and render whatever support and assistance necessary to enable the state to succeed,” he promised.

On the distribution of relief items, Shettima said the Federal Government would continue to support the less privileged that had been affected by disasters and other environmental challenges to improve their living conditions in their various communities.

Skills acquisition

Also speaking at the Combined Graduation Ceremony of the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute, the Vice President underscored the inevitability of skills acquisition among the young demographic in Nigeria, noting that the nation could no longer afford to keep growing a population of idle, unemployed and unemployable youths. Shettima in a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Stanley Nkwocha, stated that:

“The danger of paying lip service to technical and vocational skills acquisition is one none of us is prepared to experience, and the examples of various low- and middle-income countries, especially the Asian Tigers, are there to inspire the direction of our National Development Plans and push our economic drive towards a destination we all desire – a place of boom.

“This is why President Bola Tinubu has championed economic reforms beyond the usual cosmetic fixes to lay the groundwork for greater opportunities ahead. With increased allocations to the states, I believe that we are more than energised to fund our development programmes.”

Recalling Nigeria’s origin as an agrarian nation, the Vice President noted that there is no greater inspiration than concentrating on, “the magnitude of initiatives made possible by the proceeds of the sector and the hard work of those skilled and unskilled workers who were the fulcrum of our pre-oil economy.”

According to him, the graduation ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the sincerity of the administration’s promise to create avenues for up-skilling and reskilling the nation’s workforce across sectors.

Shettima maintained that the institute was a vehicle through which the APC-led government fulfilled its promise to Nigerians to, “prioritise poverty reduction, employment generation, and job creation.” Cautioning against harbouring a population of unemployed youths in the country, he said:

“The reality we inherited points to the existence of a link between youth unemployment, violence, and other associated crimes, and as such, we cannot afford to create an idle, unemployed, or unemployable demographic.”

Shettima who had earlier flagged off the distribution of relief materials to flood victims, presentation of tractors and paddy rice to farmers in the state said it was a demonstration of his, “affinity for Nasarawa State, and as a Kanuri man, who has ancestral connections with some segments” of the state that has already become home to him.

Sule said the skills programme of the state vocational and technology institute was designed to address the skills gap in critical sectors and empower young Nigerians.

He thanked the Vice President for finding time to visit the state, and for supporting its modest contributions to economic transformation and youth empowerment.

Also speaking, Executive Director of the technology institute, Dr Daniel Asele, said the 1,000 graduates of the 2024 programme of the establishment, had undergone rigorous training and acquired skills that are relevant to contemporary challenges of their communities and state at large.

In a goodwill message, the Director General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Mr Adewale Oyerinde, commended the Nasarawa State Government for its commitment to empowering young Nigerians, saying the programme would significantly impact ongoing efforts to transform and industrialise the economy by providing the necessary skilled manpower to drive the processes.

The Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I (rtd), thanked the Vice President for his support and commitment to the people of Nasarawa State, pledging the loyalty of the traditional council to the Federal Government’s programmes and policies.

Recall that the acquisition of the tractors followed governor Sule’s recent trip to Nagpur, China where he sought the partnership of Mahindra, a leading tractor manufacturing firm to build tractor maintenance, and capacity building workshop in Nasarawa State.

The china trip paid off when the government purchased and assembled quite a number of tractors in Lafia, which were inaugurated by the Vice President and distributed to the 13 local government areas and individual farmers to boost food production during the visit.

Caution

Sule cautioned against the misuse of the tractors and called for the tracking of them in every location, with particular reference to the work they deployed for and optimal use of them.

He also called for effective deployment all-year round, saying farmers in Nasarawa State must take advantage of all year round initiatives and gestures of government to massively improve agricultural production.

Sule disclosed that he was in India on the invitation of Mahindra & Mahindra, said to be the world’s largest tractor manufacturer by volume, a company founded in 1945 and reportedly has presence in 50 countries across the six continents.

Food production

In complementing the food security programme of Tinubu, the Nasarawa State Government cultivated 2, 000 hectares of rice of the 10, 000 hectares of land it acquired for the Outgrower Scheme to demonstrate in practical terms it strong commitment to promoting agriculture, which is aimed at addressing food production and food availability.

Besides the huge annual budgetary allocation to the agric sector, the Sule-led administration had encouraged dry season farming through the provision of the dry season fertilizers and other inputs and incentives to boost crop production.

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