Ahmed Ilallah
Agricultural transformation is one of the 12 key agendas of the Jigawa State Governor Malam Umar Namadi.
Any observant leadership who wishes to develop the economy of a state like Jigawa must prioritize agriculture as a key factor.
Jigawa State is an agricultural state; it is gladdened with agricultural land, highly irrigation potential, and a lead state on crop production like sesame seeds, hibiscus, wheat, rice et el.
Jigawa is also a leading state in aquaculture with the availability of water potentialities, Hadejia Frog market in the state is one of the largest Frog markets in the country.
Apart from the land and surface water potentials, the state has a reasonable youth population, when these populations are positively incorporated into the agricultural system and agribusiness, there is hope of turning around the economy of the state dogmatically.
In achieving the goals of the agricultural transformation, it is significant for the government to consolidate the natural resources with its innovation and strategies.
In the current wheat farming season, the state government and the federal government launched the program in Jigawa and subsidies the farm inputs and also loans were given to the farmers. There is hope of cultivating hundreds of thousands of hectares of wheat as planned by the state and federal governments.
However, the Giant Crocodile in the system is hindering all the efforts for agricultural development in the state and the country entirely.
This Giant Crocodile is corrupt, it is swolling the fortune made to the agricultural system.
The history of almost all the agricultural interventions by the various administrations, including the just recent anchor borrower program of the federal government is full of corruption allegations.
Likewise, in Jigawa the Giant Crocodile frustrated the agricultural transformation, we can recall the allegation of corruption of the 5.6 billion naira wheat project between Kano and Jigawa states in 2018 under NIRSAL, which is now history.
We can also recall the current suspension of Fadama III officials assigned to the implementation of the N1.7 billion COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus program in the state for alleged fraud.
Recently, the government of Malam Umar Namadi acquired 54 new tractors with complete implements, such as tipping trailers, ridges, harrows, and ploughs for use by the rural farming communities across the state.
During the launching of the tractors, the Managing Director of Jigawa Agricultural Supply Company Ltd (JASCO), said the idea of procuring the tractors for the local government’s councils was in line with Namadi’s vision of mechanizing agriculture in the state for maximum productivity
However, the Giant Crocodile is hindering success, there are huge allegations of corruption in acquiring these tractors, the tractors are mostly not new, old, and republish are acquired.
Jigawa people have a confidence and belief of the governor on zero tolerance of corruption. His recent actions have proved and there is hope of doing everything to anguish this Giant Crocodile.
