Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, announced that his administration has saved over N20 billion by refurbishing 200 previously abandoned tractors.
These tractors have now been deployed for the 2024 wet season farming.
According to The PUNCH, this statement was made by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Ismaila Isah, on Wednesday in Lokoja, the state capital.
Ododo highlighted that the decision to recover and refurbish the out-of-use tractors stemmed from the prevailing economic conditions.
He assembled a team of engineers to revitalize the tractors, originally procured by his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, but abandoned by farmers across various farm settlements.
Ododo emphasized that refurbishing the tractors was far more cost-effective than purchasing new ones, considering the additional costs and delays associated with foreign exchange instability and import logistics.
He explained that acquiring a new tractor with complete accessories would have cost over N70 million, resulting in a total expense exceeding N20 billion for about 200 new tractors. Instead, the team of engineers managed to refurbish the tractors at a workshop within the Kogi State Agricultural Development Project premises in Lokoja.
He stated, “Spending billions of naira, passing through the procurement processes, shipment and clearing would have been difficult. But we had over 250 tractors procured by the last administration but they were not well utilised by the same indigenes of our dear state. These are public property.”
Ododo continued, “So far, we have spent over N20bn in bringing up to 140 tractors back to life. If we were to buy 140 tractors or more, I think we should be talking about tens of billions of Naira and not minding the time it will take to ship, to clear, and we don’t have time to wait for all that.”
The governor assured that the initiative is already benefiting farmers and is well-received by the people of Kogi State.
He invited the public to visit the workshop to witness the progress, emphasizing that governance involves cost-cutting to better serve the populace.
Additionally, Ododo mentioned his administration’s investment of over N7 billion in farm implements, seedlings, and other supplies for nearly 10,000 farmers across 76 farm clusters in the state’s 21 local government areas.
He added, “We have invested N7.5 billion and we are ready to invest more on the farmers so that they will be able to go into full-scale farming. It’s a plan. We are unveiling it gradually because everyone can’t be on government payroll.”
“We must all contribute, join hands together to develop our state so that Kogi State can be a good example for other states to learn from. Very soon, you will see what Kogi State will do in terms of agriculture. We will not only feed ourselves, we will feed other states and possibly export our agricultural produce,” the governor concluded.
