By Mercy Aikoye
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will today in Minna, Niger State, inaugurate the Agro Processing Zone and the re-commission the Minna International Airport.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State, made the disclosure in Minna, during an inspection of facilities at the airport, as well as the Agro Processing Zone being get ready for commissioning by the president.
Bago stated that rehabilitation of the airport is 99 percent completed, and positioned to play a critical role in the North-Central aero hub.
He said that about 1,000 hectares of land is ready for use, adding that engineering works for drip irrigation for green houses, expected to be the biggest in Africa, has reached advanced stage.
Gov. Bago explained that special agro-processing zone in the airport will process fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, to be transported to across Nigeria and for export.
“On this other side of the land, there is another one 1,000 hectares where we are going process dairy products.
“This is a free zone and in a free zone and we are very ambitious to expand the 2,000 hectares of land around the airport to 10,000 hectares. We are starting from the 2,000 and we will keep going.
“We are constructing about 140 kilometres of water irrigation to this place from Shiroro Dam and you can see our partners from outside the country almost completing the work.
“This project is an ambitious 50-year programme, but the first phase will be completed in the next couple of years so that Mr. President can commission it.
“We are bringing in 80 Megawatts of power to this airport, with investments to Niger State. We plan to give a morotarium of what we call “power holiday”, during which they will get power free for industries who want to set up here.
“We are asking for 13% derivation from the four hydro dams in our state from the federal government”.
The NUJ President, Chief Chris Isiguzo, while speaking during the tour, said: “I came here to see the massive transformation that is on-going in this place and they speak volumes about the commitment of the present administration in the state.
“We have looked at the Governor’s idea of putting in place an agro-processing zone, a free trade zone. It is a very great idea. This way, the consumption of red meat, blood meat would have been a thing of the past”.
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