By Omololu Ogunmade
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday asked the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to distribute tractors being refurbished at the agency’s institute in Minna, Niger State to farmers.
Buhari issued the directive while receiving a briefing from the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna.
Buhari said one of the most crucial modern implements required to till the ground and help farmers to reap bountiful harvests is tractor.
Haruna had told Buhari that some of the tractors are currently being refurbished through partnership arrangement between NASENI and Machine & Equipment Corsotium Africa (MECA) as well as the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agriculture Lending(NIRSAL).
He said the tractors are kept in one of NASENI’s institute in Minna, Niger State.
Buhari, who is the Chairman of the Governing Board of NASENI, said he was satisfied with the activities of the agency, most especially the efforts to fabricate agricultural tools and reverse engineering of modern machines and equipment aimed at boosting agricultural activities.
Haruna later told journalists that “President Buhari was eager to see that the tractors were deployed to farmers before the next farming season.”
He also said the president was concerned about the state of drudgery and sufferings of farmers without modern farm implements, adding that his administration will do everything within its powers to improve agriculture.
Haruna added that Buhari directed him to give him feedback on the implementation of his directive on the deployment of the tractors.
The president also directed him to convene a board meeting of NASENI immediately.
He noted that “an agency like NASENI was set up by the founding fathers in 1992 to bridge the technology and infrastructure gaps between a country like Nigeria and most developed countries of the world whose secrets of advanced socio-economic well-being was their continued investment in science, technology and research.”
