Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
In a significant move to combat unemployment and stimulate economic growth, the Federal Government has announced a comprehensive plan to empower 27,000 young men and women in Jigawa State.
The initiative is a cornerstone of the national poverty alleviation scheme, providing beneficiaries with a robust support package including direct capital investment, specialized starter packs for various trades, and essential technical training to ensure the sustainability of their new businesses.
The announcement was made public during a citizen engagement forum on Tuesday in Ringim Local Government Area.
Delivering President Bola Tinubu’s message, Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Umar Namadi, underscored the programme’s national scope.
“The empowerment is part of a much larger ambitious national strategy designed to be implemented across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria, ultimately targeting the empowerment of over 770,000 young Nigerians. The goals of the scheme are multifaceted, aiming to reduce poverty levels, energize the local economy, and enhance national security by providing legitimate economic opportunities for the youth,” Namadi added.
Governor Namadi seized the opportunity to elaborate on Jigawa State’s pivotal and expanding role in ensuring the nation’s food security. He proudly noted that the state already holds the top position in Nigeria as the leading producer of key agricultural commodities such as rice, wheat, sesame, hibiscus, and gum Arabic. Building on this strong foundation, the state has set an ambitious target to produce half of the country’s entire rice requirement by the year 2030.
Namadi said that to turn the agricultural vision into a tangible reality, the state government has already launched a strategic mechanization company established through a public-private partnership. As a critical first step, sixty fully equipped agricultural service centres have been established across the state.
“These centres are stocked with modern farming machinery, including tractors and harvesters, all fitted with GPS tracking technology to ensure transparency, prevent fraud, and guarantee accountability. A streamlined digital process allows local farmers to easily book these mechanized services online or through designated local agents, improving efficiency and productivity.”
Governor Namadi confidently stated that these efforts are a direct result of his administration’s 12-point development agenda, which is already yielding measurable results. By positioning Jigawa as an agricultural powerhouse and now integrating massive youth empowerment, the dual strategy is designed to create thousands of jobs, lift countless families out of poverty, and make a substantial contribution to reinforcing Nigeria’s broader agenda for sustainable economic growth and stability.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that Nigeria’s unemployment rate stood at 5.3% in Q1 2024, an increase from 5.0% in Q3 2023. This rate is calculated as the percentage of the labor force actively seeking employment but currently without a job.
According to the Jigawa State Agricultural Policy (2024–2030), the agricultural sector plays a crucial role in enhancing food security not only within the state but also at the national level. With its vast arable land and favorable weather conditions, the state has the potential to significantly contribute to meeting Nigeria’s food needs and create more jobs.