President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday has unveiled the Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Institute in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
This is In a bid to ensure food sufficiency in the state and Nigeria at large.
The project had been flagged off by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, on August 1, 2022.
Buhari speaking during the inauguration ceremony, said the establishment of the institute and others across the six geo-political zones was part of his administration’s commitment to restructure the agricultural sector in the country.
He commended the management and staff of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for meeting the January 2023 completion target.
Buhari said, “The institute would transform the country into an agro-allied tech hub and boost food production in the country.
“I want Nigerians to produce what they eat and eat what they produce and also keep enough for exports.”
The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Professor Mohammed Sani-Haruna said the entire structures, road networks, workshops laboratory, gate house, among others were constructed within the span of five months.
“The speedy delivery on the presidential directive was not only to justify the new status of the Agency but also to hasten transition of Nigeria to a manufacturing economy, AMEDI Lafia is the first to be completed among the six equals across the geo-political zones in the country.
“So, we resolved at NASENI to use the platforms of the AMEDIs to modernise agribusiness in Nigeria and ensure sustainable scaling of agro-enterprises for new jobs and wealth creation.” the chairman stated.
