Minister of Regional Development Abubakar Momoh said a second term for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would provide an opportunity to deepen the administration’s ongoing programmes and transform the country.
Momoh spoke at Nomeh Unateze, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, during the flag-off of a 200-hectare integrated agricultural development project by the South East Development Commission (SEDC), in partnership with the Enugu State Government.
The minister said the project reflected the Tinubu administration’s focus on food security, regional development and economic transformation.
He said the Federal Government had introduced measures to improve the country’s economic and development prospects.
According to Momoh, another term for Tinubu would provide the administration with the opportunity to consolidate and deepen the changes already being implemented.
He described the agricultural project as part of efforts to promote food production and strengthen development in the Southeast.
‘Another opportunity for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu means transformation. Another opportunity means complete transformation of all the things that have been happening,’ Momoh said.
He said the SEDC project aligns with the Federal Government’s policies and presidential priorities, particularly the priority on food security.
‘What you are doing here today is in conformity with the ministry’s policy and the Federal Government’s policy. We are transforming policy into implementation now,’ the minister said.
Momoh commended the SEDC for what he described as its capacity, vision and commitment to translating the objectives for which regional development commissions were established into concrete projects.
He specifically cited the SEDC and the North Central Development Commission as two newly established commissions that had demonstrated capacity and vision, while urging other commissions to accelerate implementation of their mandates.
He said the commissions were established as government institutions to drive development and were expected to work in accordance with government policies and regulations.
The minister also praised the SEDC Managing Director, Mark Okoye, for his approach to consulting and engaging stakeholders before embarking on major interventions.
He said the agricultural project would go beyond farmland development by incorporating processing and other aspects of the commodity value chain.
‘It is not just sufficient to develop the land, but we must go beyond that to embark on processing,’ Momoh said, adding that the initiative could help revive the commodity ecosystem for which the Southeast was historically known.
The 200-hectare project, which is the pilot component of SEDC’s South East Agro-Development Programme, is designed to integrate agricultural production with mechanisation, processing, training and market access. The commission says the project is intended as a model for wider agricultural interventions across the five South East states.
Momoh commended Governor Peter Mbah for providing the land for the project and praised the cooperation among the Enugu State Government, the SEDC and the state’s communities.
He said the collaboration demonstrated the importance of state and regional institutions working together to bring development initiatives closer to the grassroots.