By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, visited the former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), at his hilltop mansion in Minna, Niger State, where they both discussed the state of the nation.
Tinubu had left the venue of the inauguration of the agricultural mechanization revolution project executed by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago in Minna, Niger State capital, straight for the hilltop residence of the former military leader in the capital city.
Tinubu had visited Niger State on Monday on a one-day working visit to commission the remodelled terminal of the Minna Airport now renamed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, among other engagements.
A report in the LEADERSHIP newspaper said President Tinubu visited and spent over one hour discussing issues bordering on the current situation in the country with General Babangida, who was Nigeria’s military president between 1985 and 1993.
It was learnt that only the Niger State governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, was present at the closed-door meeting.
Babangida, it was learnt, “offered him (Tinubu) advice as a statesman and stressed the need to urgently walk his talk.”
It was learnt that he advised that all programmes of the government should be targeted at the common man and promised to make his door open anytime to all leaders but insisted on maintaining the unity of the country.
Speaking earlier at the flag-off of the agricultural mechanization revolution for food security and the commissioning of the remodeled domestic terminal of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna, the President stated that all states need to adopt the wage award, saying that the National Executive Council would also adopt it.
He said: “If all of you, the sub-nationals have been paying the wage award, pending the determination of the new salary wage. Let all the states start paying the wage award. Whatever they are taking now plus the wage award would relieve the public.
“Please, I am not giving an order, I am appealing to you states, start paying the wage award, let everyone start paying it. It is a relief to the people. The mechanism is the fact that it won’t be inflationary if we announce the new salary wage in a few weeks or months, they would have gotten used to the basic wage of N30,000 plus the wage award, and it will have a dampening effect on the market. Please get sub-nationals together and NEC should adopt this.”
He assured that the student loans and other economic measures would soon commence as steps are being taken by the government to relieve the people of hunger.
Tinubu called for a wholistic approach by Governors, particularly those facing armed bandits attacks to end clash between herders and farmers especially in northern parts of the country to bring to an end to hunger and starvation.
The President made the declaration during the official flag-off of the agricultural mechanisation revolution for food security emergency and commissioning of the remodeled domestic terminal of the Minna airport.
Tinubu said:."It is the responsibility of the government to save its citizenry from all forms of threats, but to guarantee national food security, state Governors should especially in the north must rise up to the challenge of hostilities by the two critical stakeholders farmers and herders.
“Let us reorganize and come up with ways to end roaming cows from eating up farm produce. Make provisions for tha cattle rearers, provide us with the land”, the President said as he encouraged Nigerians to be patient as something is being done to end their sufferings.
Meanwhile, the Niger state government has expressed preparedness to construct a canal to harness water from the Shiroro dam which will irrigate 90,000 hectares comprising 236 km of irrigation canals and other associated engineering infrastructure with a view to significantly expand the state’s agricultural production capacity.
Niger state Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago who disclosed this at the official flag-off of the agricultural mechanisation revolution, also said the state is open and ready to parter local and international organisations to meet its agricultural revolution target.
“We plan to establish industrial farm and processing estates across all the 25 local government areas through partnership models with partners from various countries, development finance institutions, the federal government, and other states with less agricultural potential or endowments”.
“Furthermore, through Niger Food Security and Logistics Limited, a state-owned enterprise, we have embarked on an ambitious land preparation and cultivation program across the 25 Local Government Areas within the domains of all the Eight Emirate Councils”, he said.
“It is therefore with great pride that I share with you our bold vision for the future of agriculture in Niger State. We are well positioned to produce 50 million metric tons of assorted food crops annually utilising about 3 million hectares by 2030”.
Niger State, according to Governor Bago intends to be the largest sub-national food exporter in Nigeria, adding that, “To achieve this, we are determined to attract investments, private sector equity, and loans totalling, 500 billion Naira annually over the next seven years”.
NIGERIAN NEWSLEADER Newspaper Correspondent reports that Governors of Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Benue and Ogun state accompanied the President to the one-day working visit to Niger state. (additional report from the Theniche). NNL.