Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has said that his administration will continue to encourage efforts geared towards job creation and agricultural development in the state.
The governor was speaking at the weekend during the launch of the first Nigerian Agriprenuer Academy in Shabu in Kokona local government area of the state.
The academy will use the state-of-the-art facilities at Shabu Integrated Farm- an intensive mechanised and integrated farm owned by Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Located about 35 kilometres from Keffi, the academy is designed to provide strategic and practical training to the various actors in the country’s agricultural sector including the research community.
Governor Sule said the state was lucky to have people like Senator Adamu who continue to use his resources to ensure that he creates opportunity for the people and the state to generate good income.
“I believe that this is a farm if properly nurtured, properly supported will be the foundation for the take-off of indigenous agricultural activities in Nasarawa state,” he said.
The governor also promised that he would ensure that key agricultural companies like Dangote and other giants in the sector take advantage of the modern facilities and experts at the academy to train their staff instead of sending them abroad.
Earlier in his address, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the founder of Shabu Integrated Farms and initiator of the academy said the country was far from realising its agricultural potential stressing that the academy was working in collaboration with other institutions like the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nasarawa State University, Keffi and other notable research institutes to strengthen the capacity of farmers in the country.
Adamu who has over 40 decades experience in agriculture and the current chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture said the over 30,000 hectares of land housing the Shabu Integrated Farms and Agriprenuer Academy was acquired since 1982.
The director of the academy, Professor Maikano Ari said the academy is going to provide tailored trainings for people across the various strata of the country’s agricultural space.
He said the academy would also be a conducive environment for researchers to take advantage of the farm’s standard facilities, which are not available in most institutions across the country.
About 50 trainees from the Nasarawa West Senatorial zone were admitted into the academy for Extension Service delivery training on rice value chain. The training was done in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.