North-East NASS Caucus seeks zone’s inclusion in $530m SAPZ project

 The North-East Caucus in the National Assembly have appealed for immediate inclusion of the zone in the 530 million dollar Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) project.

Chairman of the caucus, Sen. Danjuma Goje, made the appeal at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, following the flag-off of the construction of phase one of the project.

Goje said that the appeal was part of their resolutions during an emergency meeting on the exclusion of the zone in the SAPZ programme.

He expressed concern over the exclusion of the zone from the processing zones in spite of the zone’s enormous agricultural potential cutting across all sectors’ value chains.

According to him, the call for inclusion is not only for fairness and inclusivity but also for actualisation of the lofty ideals of the present administration to industrialise Nigeria’s agricultural sector and create sustainable jobs in the country.

“For a start, 530 million dollars is to be provided by the Federal Government, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic Development Bank (ISDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the SAPZ programme.

“On April 8, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, in Kaduna state, flagged off the construction of phase one of the SAPZ, as part of the present administration’s plan to industrialise Nigeria’s agricultural sector and create sustainable jobs.

“Seven states and the FCT have been selected for the programme.

“The North-West and South-West have two processing zones each – Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, and Oyo states. The South-South, South-East and North-Central have one processing zone each.

“Despite its enormous agricultural potential, the north east is conspicuously missing from the list of states allocated the processing zones.

“SAPZ aims to transform Nigeria’s agriculture landscape through innovation, private-sector investments and strategic public partnerships.

“The zones are designed to create agro-industrial hubs that integrate farmers with processors, reduce post-harvest losses and expand rural economic opportunities.

“Our potential in all aspects of the agricultural sector cannot be over-emphasised,” he said.

According to him, north-east zone is known for its enormous livestock and crop growth, contributing significantly to the country’s economic well-being and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“It is against this backdrop that we are extremely worried that our zone is excluded from the SAPZ programme regarded as “presidential priority project” and a direct response to the long-standing challenges facing Nigeria’s agricultural value chain,” Goje said.

He, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for making the programme a reality in the country.