My Blog

Tag: Federal Government

  • FG distributes subsidized farm inputs to farmers in Kano

    The Federal Government on Monday kick-started the distribution of subsidized farm inputs to farmers in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State.

    The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Afolabi, announced this during the inauguration of the distribution event in the ATASP-1 States, including Jigawa, Kebbi, Niger, and Sokoto.

    Dr. Ernest Afolabi, represented by Malam Tanimu Ibrahim, the Director of Planning and Policy Coordination, stated that the distribution marked the beginning of the 2023 delivery of subsidized inputs to approximately 60,000 farmers across the participating states.

    The program, which was initiated in March 2015, aims to enhance food and nutrition security, attract private-sector investments in agriculture, reduce post-harvest losses, and add value to local agricultural produce.

    Under the Commodity Value Chain Development component, the Federal Government, through the ministry, has been providing crucial production inputs to support farmers, emphasizing the importance of transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the input delivery process.

    To make the program more efficient, the government approved the introduction and use of an ICT platform for input delivery to farmers this year, highlighting the significance of this notable improvement.

    The Permanent Secretary reaffirmed the current administration’s commitment to boost agricultural production in the country, emphasizing the vital role of agriculture in achieving food security.

    Governor Abba Yusuf commended the initiative, represented by his deputy, Alhaji Aminu Gwarzo.

    He reiterated his administration’s dedication to providing farmers with affordable avenues to access soft loans from credible financial institutions, thus enhancing food security in the state.

    Alhaji Faruk Mudi, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Kano State, assured that the farmers would utilize the inputs efficiently to produce diverse food crops, reflecting their commitment to agricultural growth and sustainability.

  • Subsidy: FG provides solar alternative power to Nigerians

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Engr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad on Friday, said the Federal Government is providing solar energy alternatives to Nigerians in a bid to cushion the effect of subsidy removal on businesses and households.

    Ahmad, who was speaking after the inspection of REA’s Energizing Economies Initiative (EEI) project in Ayegbaju International Market, Osogbo, said the Federal Government, through REA, is setting up alternative solar energy systems to cater to electricity-underserved Nigerians.

    He also explained that the concept of the EEI project was to provide alternative and clean solar energy to Nigerians, so as to reduce or abolish the use of carbon monoxide petrol-powered generators.

    “We came to our Zonal office in Osun and we decided to do a short inspection of the Energizing Economies Initiative (EEI) that we have in Ayegbaju International Market, Osogbo.

    “We came to see the progress of the work and we are very happy with what we have seen here today.

    “The concept is to see how we can work with the market association and most importantly, work with the state government to scale up solar power supply to the whole market,” he said.

    He said the construction of the solar system at the Ayegbaju Market is about 95 percent completed and that the power generation of the system is targeted at 30kwp.

    He said at the pilot phase now, the solar power electricity is being test run on 48 shops and that in the long run, it would be extended to all the shops in the market.

    He said with the interaction he had with the leadership of the market, shop owners are interested in the solar power project, as an alternative power source to run their operations/shops.

    “What we have seen is the tremendous interest of the market people in the solar energy alternative, especially using it to replace petrol generators, in the face of subsidy removal,” he said.

    He said as a follow up to the inspection and interaction with the market people, he would meet and work with developers, Osun State Government and even the market association, to draw a roadmap of how the project would be sustained and scaled up to cover the entire market.

    He said with the solar system initiative, REA has been able to demonstrate a concept of solar power generation and supply, and that they can now bring in and work with other stakeholders to scale it up to the demand of Nigerians who are unserved and undeserved with electricity.

    “Over 148 sites have been audited directly by REA,” saying “support from partners, such as E-guide and Rockefeller Foundation, will enhance the Energizing Economies Initiative (EEI) project.

    “It is from these sites that Ayegbaju International Market, Osogbo, and Abubakar Gumi Market, Kaduna, were selected to deliver the next phase of EEI projects,” he said.

    He said they are taking into account the lessons learned from phase zero and one of the project initiatives and would use it as a model for sustainable and collaborative projects with state governments and Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos).

    “Once the solar system construction is completed, the State Governments or DisCos, developers, and REA will be able to sit with the Market Associations to sign a multilateral agreement which ensures the long-term viability of the project while ensuring energy access to the markets.

    “These projects will also provide the much-needed relief to businesses in these markets by reducing their dependence on petrol generators while increasing the penetration of renewable energy sources,” he said.