News Editor
By Edwin Philip
HRH., Alhaji Dr. Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe, has commended the synergy between the Silicone Valley Nigeria, Economic Development ( SV-NED)/ the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as well as the Niger State Government on Agriculture, affordable housing and energy transformation.
The royal father gave the commendation during the team visit to his palace in Bida, Niger State over the weekend to appreciate his royal commitment to addressing Niger State’s longstanding housing deficit and to seek his blessings to embark on the project in the State .
Etsu Nupe, the 13th ruler and chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, reaffirmed his support for the partnership and commended the teams for choosing Niger State as the hub for the transformative initiatives.
Adding that the groundbreaking projects aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, as himsself and other stakeholders are optimistic that Niger State’s development will set a benchmark for replicating success across the country, fostering a brighter future for Nigeria.
“The implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is accelerating, with initiatives aimed at driving economic growth, enhancing living standards, and fostering national development” he said.
During the visit, the SV-NED Chairman, HRH. Queen Mother Ambassador Amina Temitope Ajayi Labinjo, popularly known as Mama Diaspora, expressed her gratitude to the Etsu Nupe and Niger State Governor Umar Bago for their unwavering support towards the initiatives.
According to her, the partnership is set to revolutionize agriculture and energy in Nigeria through cutting-edge technology. Key initiatives include nano-agriculture projects, compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion, and mineral exploration, which are designed to transform Niger State into a model of economic innovation and development.
“This partnership exemplifies the Renewed Hope Agenda’s mission to empower Nigerian youths and drive sustainable development,” she said.
The SV-NED/NYSC team, led by Captain Dada Olaniyi Labinjo (Rtd), highlighted plans for the groundbreaking projects, which include a massive 360,000-hectare land allocation in Kakakpangi village along Bida-Minna Road and another 100,000 hectares in Wuya, Bida Local Government Area. These projects are expected to uplift the lives of thousands of Nigerians, especially NYSC corps members, by creating opportunities for self-reliance through skills acquisition and employment.
The Director of Skills Acquisition and Empowerment Development (SAED), Mr. Aremu Kehinde, underscored the transformative potential of these projects.
He noted that NYSC members stand to gain immensely from the partnership, becoming active contributors to the nation’s economic growth. “The entire NYSC family nationwide appreciates your support, Your Highness. We pray for your long reign,” he remarked.
It would be recalled that recently that Kehinde, who is also the chairman implementation committee NYSC/SV-NED partnership, said several opportunities for colaborations was discussed but the NYSC is interested in the CNG and the agriculture development projects and a committee is set to inspect the over 500 hundred hecters of land release by the governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago, for development of Rice as the pilot spheres of the projects and other States will key in with crops that they have competitive advantage over.
He added that the NYSC is open to harnessing every opportunity that will benefit corps members, as they Corps members are their focus, stating that the Director General of the Corps, General WB Ahmed is particular about Corps members and their empowerment, as training is not enough until they are employers of labour and business owners at the end of the day.
