Lagos and Niger States have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at bolstering the production and sale of food items between the two states.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos, and Umaru Muhammad Bago of Niger state inked the pioneering produce-for-Lagos initiative on Wednesday.
The produce-for-Lagos initiative is set to catalyse Niger state’s role as a key producer of various food staples, encompassing paddy, tubers, legumes, and grains, while simultaneously establishing Lagos as a premier organised market for these products.
Under the terms of the MoU, farmers in Niger state, renowned for its significant production of paddy rice in Nigeria, will benefit from a stable and dependable market for their agricultural yield in Lagos.
This strategic partnership is also geared towards safeguarding the availability and price consistency of vital food items in both states.
Abisola Olusanya, the Lagos commissioner for agriculture, underscored the significance of the collaboration, framing it as an extension of the federal government’s overarching initiative to fortify food security nationwide.
Olusanya elucidated, “The partnership agreement signed between the two governors is part of the efforts the state governors are also putting towards ensuring the declaration made by Mr President on the emergency of food security.”
She further said, “This collaboration is a very simplified one. Lagos is working on its areas of core competence and advantage with its organised market and Niger state is also capitalising on its comparative advantage which is the landmass. Niger State has the largest land mass in Nigeria and over 85 per cent of its land is arable.”
