By Ladi Gbegi
Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Mr Khalil Halilu has disclosed that the federal government’s Irrigate Nigeria Project targets increase in the income of farmers nationwide, even as the formal launch of the initiative took place at the weekend in Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
Improved irrigation, according to him, “helps farmers to extend the number of farming rounds made possible in a year for each farming household. And this means a rise in income as farming activities increased all through the dry season.”
Speaking on Saturday in Gamawa, Halilu said the goal of Irrigate Nigeria under the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, includes the transformation of the agricultural sector through the provision of sustainable irrigation system that empowers farmers to achieve year-round farming, and by extension, increase productivity and reduce food prices.
He said amongst other things, the programme is jointly being implemented by NASENI and Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, RHIDF, and also has the participation of the private sector at the core of its operations. It is in line with President Tinubu’s commitment to fully empower and enable the private sector to liase with farmers and develop the agricultural sector.
Beginning with this pilot phase, Halilu explained that the project kicked off on a 10-hectare land in Gamawa Local Government under Public-Private Partnership, PPP, built on a large scale farming basis for the purpose of sustainability and more production.
According to him, “This federal government initiative rests on four components for its sustainability which include: first, the deployment of centralised NASENI irrigation system to support farming clusters in the participating communities.
Second is the provision of input-enhanced seeds and fertilizers including technical support to the participating farmers to complement the irrigation equipment. Third is the specialised nature of the commercial model, aimed at ensuring commercial viability and long-term sustainability, and lastly, Irrigate Nigeria Project will run on commercial basis, but with care taken to ensure that this does not burden the participating farmers unnecessarily.”
To this end, “the repayment by farmers for the support being provided will be in the form of convenient portions of their harvests, like rice paddy. These repayments will be pooled into a strategic food reserve that will help to stabilise commodity prices and also make available for institutional sale for export, and finally, it has the objective of ensuring that farmers are able to farm throughout the year regardless of the availability of rain, while increasing the quantity and quality of harvests.”
Speaking, Governor Bala Mohammed expressed gratitude to the federal government for choosing Gamawa Local Government Area as the first place to benefit from the initiative.
“What the federal government is doing today in Gamawa is the fulfillment of the essence of governance, that is to create an enabling environment, and it is a plus for President Tinubu or the federal government. This project is more than just about farming; it is about food security, economic empowerment and national stability. It aligns perfectly with Bauchi State government’s broader goal of expanding irrigation farming, reducing dependence on rain-fed agriculture and promoting sustainable agricultural infrastructure,” the governor said.
According to him, Irrigate Nigeria initiative is a new model for agricultural excellence, capable of leading to sustainable growth and development of the agricultural sector.
“The Irrigate Nigeria Project, if implemented as designed, will have a multiplier effect across the agricultural value chain, both vertically and horizontally. It will drive knowledge transfer, introduce advanced technologies and distribute wealth equitably ensuring that even the most vulnerable members of our society benefit from this transformation. This is the kind of structured agricultural intervention that Nigeria needs, one that prioritises inclusivity, accountability and long-term economic impact.”
Dr Mohammed Dahiru, who is the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Technology Transfer, PICTT, said the project was designed essentially on the PPP model in order to sustain it beyond its take off, and to make it run on business principles and yet not leaving the farm households nationwide behind in the overall aim of developing the whole agriculture eco-system of the country.
He said unlike similar initiatives in the past which received funding 100 percent from government or development partners and yet failed, the Irrigate Nigeria project was conceived and funded at the outset extensively on PPP basis to drive sustainability.
According to Dahiru, “No private sector puts funds into any investment and allows it to fail or go to sleep. The private sector’s mindset primarily is that anything that is worth investing in must be nurtured to succeed, which is not always the case with fully government funded projects.”
The weekend’s take-off of the Irrigate Nigeria Project is the first phase of the launch.
The exercise will be replicated in other parts of the country by NASENI under the auspices of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.
