Bago flags off N-HYPPADEC’s agric support scheme in Niger

The National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) has distributed 850 units of 13-horsepower hand-driven Power Tillers, along with relief materials and life jackets, to farmers across the states under the Commission’s oversight.

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, flagged off the distribution at the N-HYPPADEC Headquarters in Minna.

He commended the Commission and its Managing Director for their unwavering commitment to developing the N-HYPPADEC states, noting that his reappointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for another tenure is a testament to that effort.

Bago said the distribution demonstrates N-HYPPADEC’s willingness to support benefiting communities and contribute to food security despite the flood disasters ravaging some member states.

He urged farmers to pursue dry-season farming by taking advantage of the Lower Niger Basin and to engage in pasture production aligned with the president’s agricultural and livestock initiatives for Nigeria.

Reaffirming his administration’s readiness to sustain support for N-HYPPADEC, he pledged to provide 160 water pumps and stated that the state government will partner with the commission to boost agricultural activities.

He also urged N-HYPPADEC to consider reticulating the New Bussa, Borgu LGA and Bida towns in its 2026 budget and called for intervention in the Kuta waterworks.

On the issue of recurring boat mishaps in Niger State, the governor emphasised that lives have been lost and called for re-education.

He said discussions with the Etsu Nupe and the N-HYPPADEC Managing Director are ongoing to determine how best to enforce the use of life jackets.

The Managing Director of N-HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, disclosed that out of 850 units of 13-horsepower hand-powered tillers allocated to all N-HYPPADEC states, Niger State has 165 units.

The other items include 4,000 life jackets, 500 bags of NPK fertilisers, 50 cartons of pesticides, and 100 cartons of herbicides for flood-affected communities in Mokwa and other local government areas of the state, in addition to a recently awarded contract for the supply of planters and sprayers for distribution to affected communities in N-HYPPADEC’s member states.

Yelwa emphasised that the distribution of the hand-powered tillers and other items is yet another practical step in their continuing effort to reduce vulnerability, improve livelihoods, and promote inclusive development.

He said the efforts align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasises empowerment, agricultural productivity, and community resilience, and resonates deeply with the Niger State Government’s strong commitment to agricultural advancement and water-transport safety.

In separate goodwill messages, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Matthew Ahmed; Estu Nupe; and Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, commended N-HYPPADEC’s activities and interventions to ensure safety of lives and to increase food productivity and security in the state.

They added that the programme is in line with the farmer-governor’s vision, and noted that the state has already provided tractors to service smallholder farmers across the state.

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