Mustapha Abubakar-Bida, the chairman of the New Niger Development Project (NNDP), says President Bola Tinubu and Governor Umar Bago of Niger have fared so well in the last year.

Mr Abubakar-Bida said this in Minna on Sunday. He acknowledged the synergy between the federal government and the states, especially Niger.

“Without effective synergy between the two tiers of government, there will not be any meaningful development. The federal government under Tinubu has ensured this synergy with the states, especially Niger.

“Niger is also demonstrating a strong commitment to that synergy, and things are working well for the state and the citizens,” Mr Abubakar-Bida said.

He noted how Mr Bago swung into action when Tinubu recently tasked the states to help bring down the high costs of food items, adding, “Bago immediately swung into action and provided 1,000 new tractors. Tinubu came to Niger and inaugurated them as well as the Minna airport named after him.”

Mr Abubakar-Bida said Niger under Mr Bago “is seriously working to reclaim its lost glory of being the food basket” of Nigeria.

He added, “Bago has ensured that Nigeria is being fed through Niger, and this is a tangible dividend of the workable synergy between the state and the federal government.”

According to him, this is possible as God has endowed Niger with arable land and the largest landmass in the country.

He said this was a comparative advantage divinely bestowed on the state; hence, it is leading in food production in the nation.

Mr Abubakar-Bida stressed that the strong synergy was positively impacting all spheres of human life in Niger.

He said, “There is a collective will by Tinubu and Bago to move Nigeria and Niger forward. Niger is now rated high in terms of GDP among the states in the country. It is glaring that Niger has made a quantum leap in the country, and this is just for the first year, the planting year. 

“When we reach the next two or three years, the harvesting years, ore developments will be reaped in the state.”

(NAN)