From Celestine Ihejirika, Jalingo
The General Manager of the Taraba State Tractors Hiring Unit (THU), Engr. Danladi Shatalis, has said the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has undergone remarkable transformation over the past three years under the leadership of its Commissioner, Prof. Nicolas Oliver Namassen.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent in Jalingo, Shatalis reviewed the activities of the Tractors Hiring Unit over the last three years and praised Prof. Namassen for introducing innovations that have repositioned the ministry and the unit.
Congratulating the commissioner on his three years in office, the THU general manager noted that the unit has gradually overcome the negative perception it once faced, attributing the improvement to the leadership provided during the period under review.
According to him, the unit has recorded a significant increase in revenue generation, alongside the acquisition of two crawler tractors and other agricultural mechanisation equipment aimed at boosting food production across the state.
Shatalis further stated that Prof. Namassen has continued to play a pivotal role in the growth of the unit through a series of engagements with Governor Agbu Kefas, geared towards improving the operations of the THU and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as a whole.
He added that special agricultural equipment has been procured and distributed across the 16 local government areas of the state, while some of the equipment is awaiting commissioning.
The THU boss also commended the commissioner for initiating plans to establish a proposed five-star business shopping centre adjacent to the THU office along Hammaruwa Way in Jalingo.
Shatalis thanked Governor Agbu Kefas for appointing Prof. Nicolas Oliver Namassen as Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, describing him as “a seasoned technocrat in the Agric profession and former staff of the ministry of agriculture”.
He, however, appealed to the commissioner to facilitate the provision of additional tractors, the renovation of office buildings, the procurement of utility vehicles, including Hilux vans, and the recruitment of new personnel to strengthen the unit’s operations, noting that many experienced staff members had retired while others had died.
