Maiduguri: Vice-President Kashim Shettima has inaugurated 375 tractors refurbished by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) under the National Asset Restoration Programme. The programme, launched in Maiduguri, Borno, is an initiative of NASENI aimed at boosting mechanised agriculture and enhancing food security, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to revive broken-down or non-functional tractors. Each tractor has undergone comprehensive rehabilitation, including mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and structural upgrades, making them ready for immediate deployment across farming communities.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, while inaugurating the programme at the Borno State Agricultural Mechanisation (BOSAMAN) Farm Centre, Shettima highlighted Nigeria’s history of poor maintenance, affecting both private and public sectors. He emphasized the need to stop investing resources in projects that remain incomplete and assets that are neglected despite being crucial to solving national issues. This initiative, he stated, represents a shift in how the nation considers value, sustainability, and innovation.
Shettima revealed that Nigeria has over 26,000 units of broken-down but serviceable heavy-duty equipment and nearly 500,000 component scraps that can be restored or repurposed. He contrasted these figures with the reality that the nation has only 7,000 to 12,000 functional tractors but needs 2.4 million to meet food production goals over the next decade. He commended NASENI for the Asset Restoration Programme, which he described as a brilliant idea to mitigate a national tragedy. Beyond refurbishment, NASENI has demonstrated its capacity for technology transfer, homegrown engineering, and adaptive innovation.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno noted the country’s need for 750,000 functional tractors, of which less than 10 percent are operational. He mentioned that the intervention is timely, especially after the floods of September 2024, which damaged many agricultural machines in Borno. The decision to select Borno as the pilot state for the restoration programme offers a lifeline to revive damaged assets and restore farming capacity. Zulum assured that the Borno Government is committed to maintaining and optimally using the restored assets.
NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman, Mr. Khali Halilu, stated that a national survey revealed over 47,000 broken down serviceable agricultural and law enforcement assets in Nigeria, with replacement costs exceeding N14 trillion. He emphasized NASENI’s approach to restore these assets for just 15 to 25 percent of their replacement value, achieving full functionality and resulting in significant national savings.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, remarked that the programme marks a pivotal moment in the government’s efforts to enhance productivity across sectors. He noted that the focus on restoration aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, who also chairs the Governing Board of NASENI.