Vice President Kashim Shettima has launched the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Fund and inaugurated a Coordinating Council for Agricultural Development and Investment, marking a major step toward transforming the Niger Delta into a leading agricultural and agribusiness hub.
Speaking at the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Summit held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Shettima said the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places agriculture at the centre of Nigeria’s economic transformation.
The summit, jointly organised by the Office of the Vice President and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), with the support of the governors of the nine Niger Delta states, was themed “Unlocking Investment for Sustainable Agricultural Transformation in the Niger Delta.”
Shettima said the initiative is designed to mobilise government, investors, development partners and the private sector to unlock the region’s vast agricultural potential and translate it into sustainable economic growth.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s economic history, the Vice President said the country must return to agriculture as a foundation for national prosperity.
“Before oil took centre stage in our economy, it was the soil that paid our bills. We must, therefore, return to agriculture for our economic development,” he said.
Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, urged investors to see the Niger Delta as more than an oil-producing region, describing it as a strategic hub for Nigeria’s food security. He added that mechanised and innovative farming remains central to the Federal Government’s agricultural agenda.
Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Chiedu Ebie, said the Niger Delta is blessed with fertile land that can drive agricultural expansion alongside its oil and gas resources.
He noted that the Commission remains committed to the Federal Government’s priorities on food security, poverty reduction, job creation and economic development.
In his address, NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the summit reflects the Commission’s commitment to supporting President Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda through agriculture.
According to him, the Niger Delta’s fertile land presents enormous opportunities for food production, investment, employment and long-term prosperity.
Ogbuku also stressed that infrastructure is critical to agricultural development, revealing that the NDDC will soon complete the 1.2-kilometre Kaa-Ataba Bridge, linking Khana and Andoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State to improve access and economic activities.
Representing the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Permanent Secretary Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to achieving food security, emphasising the transition from subsistence farming to mechanised agriculture.
Keynote speaker Prince S. J. Samuel called on stakeholders to embrace modern farming practices, describing the Niger Delta as an agricultural giant waiting to be fully developed.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, represented by Deputy Governor Senator Akon Eyakenyi, commended the collaboration between the Office of the Vice President and the NDDC, reaffirming the state’s commitment to agricultural development.
Also speaking, NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Dr. Victor Antai, said strategic partnerships would be essential in driving investment and sustaining the region’s agricultural transformation.
Earlier, NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Winifred Madume, highlighted the Niger Delta’s comparative advantages, including fertile land, freshwater resources, diverse ecological zones, extensive waterways and access to domestic and export markets.
She said the region holds enormous potential for crop production, aquaculture, livestock, agro-processing and agricultural trade, stressing that the goal is not only to increase food production but to build a modern agricultural economy capable of attracting investment, creating jobs, driving industrial growth and positioning the Niger Delta as one of Nigeria’s leading agribusiness destinations.
