Abuja, Nigeria
Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has promised to allocate land for farming in satellite towns to combat food insecurity.
NAN reports that Wike spoke in Abuja on Monday at the inauguration of the new rural road from A2 Junction (Abuja-Lokoja Expressway) to Pai community in Kwali Area Council of the FCT.
The road was one of 17 projects undertaken by the FCT Administration and was inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu in celebration of his second year in office.
The minister noted that the road network had opened previously inaccessible rural areas to economic activities, especially agriculture, and reaffirmed the FCT Administration’s continued support for farmers.
“Look at the vast area of land, and we are talking about food insecurity.
“With these vast lands, those of you who want to be farmers, real farmers, we are willing to pay compensation to communities and give you farmlands to cultivate.
“This will help us to come out of the food insecurity, which the Federal Government is trying to solve,” he said.
Wike, however, said that only real farmers would be considered and not political farmers.
According to him, political farmers will keep the land as speculators, and when development comes to the area, they will find ways to sell the land.
Similarly, Tinubu noted the untapped potential of the vast arable land in satellite towns and pledged his administration’s support to boost agricultural productivity.
“On our way here, we saw opportunities, prosperity, and the need for the establishment of ranches and rural development to uplift the lives of our rural people.
“I observed the need for our great farmers and livestock owners to establish opportunities for grazing and do what is necessary.
“We will help you. We will work with you.
“We will combat what used to be a liability and a source of conflict and turn it into a means of prosperity,” Tinubu said.
