Tinubu Inaugurates Agricultural Machinery Program, Condemns Farmer-Herder Clashes

President Bola Tinubu on Monday inaugurated the Food Security and Agricultural Mechanisation Program in Niger State and condemned farmer-herder clashes across the country.

Speaking at the event, President Tinubu said that Nigeria should enhance its capacity to feed its people as well as have enough to export to boost revenue.

"We have seen the level of commitment here. We have seen leadership. The success of any leader will depend on the ability to do what needs to be done when it ought to be done," the president said, as per an official statement.

Tinubu noted that this is the time to "address the challenges and make Nigeria an economy of opportunities," adding that it is vital to care about Nigerians and "re-orient" them. The president said there is no reason why Nigeria cannot feed all students in its schools.

The president gave two weeks to find a solution regarding the farmers and herders clash, Punch reported. He acknowledged the pain of farmers as cows roaming around the farms eat the crops and vegetation.

"But when we re-orient the herder and make provision for cattle rearing, we can address that. You are the governors who are to provide us with land. I, as President, I am committed to providing a comprehensive program that will solve this problem," he said.

Tinubu urged sub-national governments to make immediate intervention by implementing "wage awards in their states to complement the efforts of the federal government in easing the burden of citizens, pending when the minimum wage is increased."

Governor Mohammed Umar Bago appreciated the president's involvement and noted that four states - Benue, Kogi, Kwara, and Lagos - had already signed memoranda of understanding on building partnerships for the development of agriculture.

"Your presence here today underscores the importance of this occasion for our state in particular and Nigeria as a whole, as we gather to celebrate a good example demonstrated in our modest contribution to infrastructure and agricultural development encapsulated in our New Niger Agenda," Bago said.

"For us, agriculture is key to addressing the challenges in critical sectors of our economy, and we shall seize every opportunity for the attainment of growth and engender prosperity for the people of our beloved state and by extension our country, Nigeria," the governor added.