Niger PDP Rejects Gov Bago’s New  Agricultural Agreement

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the new agricultural agreement reached between the administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and Arab Contractors of Egypt, saying its position is informed by the failure of previous agreements.

Governor Bago had in Cairo entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Arab Contractors for the development of 250,000 hectares of land for agriculture.

However, the PDP, through its Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Ability, dismissed the agreement, describing it as “a white elephant programme,” and stressing also that previous arrangements by the APC government did not yield any profit.

In a statement made available to journalists in Minna, Yahaya Ability declared that: “During the last farming season, the governor promised to feed Nigerlites through an initiative called Niger Foods. However, as the season passed, no tangible results were seen; no food production, no reports of successful implementation, and certainly no benefit to the ordinary Nigerlites.”

Ability queried: “Can a government that failed to cultivate even a few hectares within Niger State suddenly promise massive development through a foreign MOU?”

The PDP zonal chairman said: “While the people continue to face food insecurity and rising costs of living, the government continues to promote non-existent achievements, leaving citizens disillusioned and betrayed.”

He claimed that the Cairo agreement “is also a classic case of empty propaganda that has become the hallmark of the APC government in Niger State,” before rallying support of the people for the opposition PDP, saying: “The time for action is now; the time to reclaim Niger State’s dignity and prosperity has come.”