By Abbas Nazil
The Executive Chairman of Niger Foods Security System and Logistics Company Ltd, Sammy Adigun, has stated that prioritising agriculture remains the most sustainable way to industrialise and leave a lasting governmental legacy.
Adigun made this assertion during a courtesy visit to the Speaker of Niger State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji, at the Assembly Complex in Tunga, Minna.
While addressing the Speaker and members of the House, he revealed that within just 18 months of its establishment, Niger Foods had attracted both multinational and international investors to Niger State.
He noted that the company has significantly advanced mechanisation and improved support for smallholder farmers through its input and mechanisation finance scheme.
Adigun explained that agriculture, once viewed mainly as a social welfare initiative, is gradually transforming into a viable business enterprise.
He added that with the presence of Niger Foods, farming is becoming more youth-inclusive and economically impactful, reshaping livelihoods across the state.
The Chairman further said that his visit was to secure collaboration and stakeholder engagement, particularly in the implementation of the N1.8 trillion Dangote Rice Project.
He also highlighted other key initiatives including the Produce for Lagos programme and the AfricaRice collaboration, which aims to achieve a yearly output of 10 million metric tons.
He disclosed that Niger Foods is also working on value chain development for additional focal commodities such as yam, sugar, shea nuts, soybeans, maize, and livestock.
According to him, the company’s immediate goal is to onboard 100,000 smallholder farmers, 25,000 SMEs and cooperatives, and 50 large-scale commercial farm estates throughout the state.
He urged members of the Assembly to actively participate in this onboarding process to accelerate agricultural transformation.
In response, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji, praised Niger Foods for involving legislators in its activities.
He pledged the commitment of the Assembly to fully engage in the programme and to mobilise traditional and political leaders across the state to embrace it.
The Speaker also called on all members of the 10th Assembly to support the initiative and ensure its successful implementation.
The engagement underscores a growing recognition of agriculture as a central pillar for state and national development.
It also reflects a broader shift in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, from subsistence to commercial-scale production, backed by private-public partnerships.
Niger Foods’ approach may serve as a model for other states looking to revitalise their economies through agribusiness.
