The Federal Government has set aside N450 billion? to be given as loans to farmers in the 36 states of the federation, Information Minister Labaran Maku has said.
Maku made the announcement on Sunday at a town hall meeting at the Idris Kutigi International Conference Centre in Minna while speaking on the “Good Governance Tour’’.
?He said that the loan was part of measures put in place by the Federal Government to boost food production, noting that N3.5 million jobs would be created in the agriculture sector before 2015 while 30,000 people in Niger would benefit from the scheme.
The minister also called for peaceful coexistence among the populace.
“I tell you if there is no peace forget about development. I urge you Northerners to love one another, intervene for peace that is the way forward to a better future,’’ he said.
He urged politicians to shun impatience when they loose elections but to see politics as a catalyst for development.
The minister urged Gov. Babangida Aliyu to intensify efforts in the development of the state.
“ The Federal Ministry of Information's Performance Monitoring Scheme partners with State Governments to give the citizen a say as democracy is about human development that promotes the welfare of the people,’’ he said.
Aliyu thanked the minister for initiating the “Good Governance Tour’.
He commended the minister for the visit, saying: “the team has seen the deplorable condition of the roads in Niger, “I will leave the federal roads for the Federal Government. It is their responsibility,’’ he said.
Aliyu said that the state had 33,000 work force and that the monthly allocation went into payment of salary while the little remaining was not enough for any meaningful development.
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