By Abbas Nazil
The Jigawa State Government has pledged to cover the cost of converting targeted irrigation pumps to compressed natural gas (CNG) as part of efforts to reduce farmers’ production costs, strengthen dry-season farming and expand alternative energy infrastructure.
Governor Umar Namadi announced the commitment on Tuesday during a meeting with the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed, and his delegation at Government House, Dutse.
Namadi said the state was prioritising CNG adoption beyond transportation, particularly in agriculture, where rising energy costs are placing increasing pressure on farmers and threatening food production.
He disclosed that energy accounts for more than half of farmers’ operating expenses, a development he said was discouraging some farmers from returning to their farms.
“As of today, energy costs constitute more than 50% of the operating expenses of our farmers,” the governor said.
He explained that converting irrigation pumps from conventional energy sources to CNG would help reduce production expenses, complement existing subsidies on agricultural inputs and encourage farmers to sustain their activities.
“On this initiative, the state government is ready to bear the cost of conversion for the targeted farms. For us, going into CNG is a matter of necessity,” he said.
The governor said the intervention would support Jigawa’s dry-season wheat and rice production programmes, reaffirming the state’s ambition to cultivate 500,000 hectares of wheat by 2030 and produce four million metric tonnes of rice annually within the same period.
He added that the government was prepared to provide land and other necessary support to facilitate the initiative, including partnerships with private-sector investors.
Earlier, Ahmed described Jigawa as a strategic location for expanding alternative energy infrastructure because of its position between Kano and Nigeria’s North-East, the availability of land and the state government’s commitment to alternative energy development.
He disclosed that the presidential initiative was engaging private-sector investors on plans to establish a major alternative energy hub in Jigawa to serve vehicles and heavy-duty transport operating along major routes.
Ahmed also said the initiative was working towards increasing the number of CNG conversion centres in the state, with a target of establishing at least 30 centres by December 2026, subject to the willingness of local investors to participate.
According to him, the initiative would also explore collaboration with the state government to establish electric vehicle charging infrastructure as part of efforts to diversify the state’s energy options.
Namadi welcomed the proposals and reaffirmed Jigawa’s readiness to collaborate with the presidential initiative, private investors and other stakeholders to accelerate the development of alternative energy infrastructure.
He said the partnership would complement the state’s investments in irrigation and agricultural mechanisation while helping to lower food production costs, improve farmers’ livelihoods and strengthen agricultural productivity.
The proposed collaboration is expected to link alternative energy development with the state’s agricultural ambitions, particularly by improving access to affordable energy for irrigation and supporting year-round farming.
