The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, yesterday, said there will be training for over 3,700 youths in the six geo-political zones of the country on modern farming with its technologies.
He said the scheme will cover modern farming, agricultural processing, production and preservation, adding that it will be in line with the implementation of President Buhari’s directive to the agency to introduce modern techniques for farming.
Haruna made the disclosures during the flag-off of the programme in Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State for the North-West. He said 100 youths from the six geo-political zones are to benefit from the technical interventions and empowerment programme by the agency.
He said, “recently, President Muhammadu Buhari specifically directed the Executive Vice Chairman/CE of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, to empower 100 youths or indigenes in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory by deploying some of the technologies on the shelves of the agency. We will focus specifically on modern farming, agricultural processing, production and preservation.” He said the president was “keen on economic diversification of the country in the direction of agriculture. This exercise was a mission accomplished and a sign of the seriousness of the administration to empower the youths and also to lift Nigeria’s agriculture away from mere subsistence.”
He said all developed countries began with agriculture and later became great because they introduced modern techniques, science and innovations into the practice in their journey to industrialisation.
For his part, the Governor of Kebbi State, Sen. Atiku Abubakar Bagudu, commended the president for promoting agriculture to guarantee food security. He said the training will help farmers on modern farming methods and improve their skills.
Bagudu equally urged the trainees to be good ambassadors of themselves and ensure that they turn themselves into billionaires after the training.
“I thank NASENI Executive Vice Chairman and CE, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation for making the programme a reality,” he said, assuring that the state will “reciprocate the good things the president has done for the good people of Kebbi State by making Kebbi a rice revolution state.”