The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Thursday said the benefits of the Federal Government’s policies will gradually come to reality and enjoyed by all.Idris gave the assurance in Dutse when he paid a visit to the Jigawa State Governor, Malam Umar Namadi, in company of the CEOs of federal information agencies and senior presidential aides during a working visit to the state.
“The pains are temporary, but the benefits will last, and will be enjoyed by all,” he explained.
The minister said they were in Jigawa as representatives of President Bola Tinubu to meet and engage with Nigerians from various walks of life.
Idris said that the President had tasked them to engage various groups of stakeholders and explain what his administration had been doing to make life better for all Nigerians, and plead with them to be patient in the face of the present economic challenges in the country.
He said “some difficult economic decisions have had to be made, for the ultimate benefit of the country.
“The pains are temporary, but the benefits will last, and will be enjoyed by all.”
The minister said that President Tinubu was committed to supporting all subnational governments in Nigeria.
“Indeed, all Nigerians are equally deserving of peace, security, prosperity, progress and all the other benefits of good governance, regardless of where in the country they live or what language they speak or what religion they subscribe to,” Idris said.
He pointed out that Jigawa is also very central to the federal government’s food security initiative, adding that food security is one of the eight pivotal pillars of President Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’.
The minister recalled that the federal government had on Nov. 25, 2023 flagged off the ongoing dry-season farming in Nigeria under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket programme, financed by the African Development Bank.
According to him, the farming programme is focusing on five key staple commodities such as rice, maize, wheat, sorghum, and soybeans, which is already yielding transformational results with impact on the availability and affordability of food in the country.
“I am aware that harvesting is already going on, and this means that the products are already making their way to the market. This is a very positive narrative that Jigawa has been instrumental to achieving for the country.
“We look forward to the state playing even more significant roles in the attainment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s food sufficiency and security agenda,” he said.
The minister said that the vision and mandate of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, under his leadership were centred on a five-point agenda.
Idris said that the first was to restore public trust in public communications, amplify policies and programmes of the federal government, as well as inspiring Nigerian narratives.
He said that the third was restoring national values and deepening the social contract between government and citizens and to modernise technology and talent in the federal government’s information and communications systems.
He added that ministry was also to create an enabling operating environment for the media in Nigeria, through favourable policies and incentives.
“I solicit your cooperation and support, going forward, because I believe that this is a shared vision for all of us.
“As governments, we all seek to ensure that the people are aware of what we are doing on their behalf and for their benefits,” the minister said.
Idris said that the issue of national reorientation was everybody’s business, adding that people must come together toward building a nation where people are aware of their rights and responsibilities.
Responding, Namadi said that daily cleaning capacity of the state’s hibiscus processing plant, the over 50,000 hectares wheat farms in addition to sorghum, soya beans and hundreds of thousands of rice farms would soon be a game-changer in the state.
He expressed confidence that the accumulative agricultural projects would transform Jigawa into a leading hub of food and nutrition in the country.
Namadi said that the state in collaboration with the African Development Bank was planning to invest in 250,000 hectares for the cultivation of rice in 2025.
