Kogi targets agricultural revolution

The Kogi State government said it had moved to revolutionise agriculture in the state to ensure prosperity and job creation for the youth in the state.

Speaking at the end of a three-day meeting between the Kogi State Economic Team and the management of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority in Ilorin, the Director General on Media and Strategy, Kingsley Fanwo, said the government would take advantage of the agencies to develop its agricultural potentials.

“The Kogi State government is desirous of leasing the irrigation infrastructure and farmlands under the control of the authority for integrated agriculture. We are looking at fishery and crop production. The State government is at the final stages of reaching partnership agreements with private investors both locally and internationally to invest massively in agriculture.

“The good news is that the agreement will be signed in a couple of weeks to enable operations start during the current dry season. The proposed sites are Kampe Omi Irrigation Project, Giriyan, Takete Ide, Ponyan, Emiworo and Egbeda-Egga. Giriyan alone can boost our new direction ambition of becoming the biggest rice producer in West Africa while the Kampe Omi Irrigation Project can generate over 200,000 direct and associated jobs for citizens,’’ he said.”

Fanwo said the deal was part of the governor’s electioneering promise to diversify the economy, ensure food security and ensure non-oil receipts dominated the economy of the state.

The governor’s spokesperson disclosed that the economic team also visited some factories where garri processing machines were fabricated locally, saying efforts were ongoing to import the technology to Kogi state to create jobs and crash the cost to feed the agro-technology drive of the present administration.

Chief Idris Asiru, Kogi State Commissioner For Finance and Economic Development who doubles as the Chairman of the  economic team led the Team.