Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has brokered collaboration and partnership between the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and Bob Track Tractor Limited, with a view to assembling tractors at the Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) Lafia.
Governor Sule sought for the collaboration between NASENI and Bob Track Tractor Limited during a meeting he brokered at the head office of NASENI in Abuja on Monday.
According to the Governor, the collaboration became necessary in order for Nasarawa State to key into the renewed hope agender of the President Ahmed Bola Tinubu administration in food security, create employment, as well as find utilization for the AMEDI which was commissioned by former president Muhammadu Buhari.
He pointed out that the collaboration between NASENI and the local tractor manufacturing company is also in line with the vision of the agency to promote Nigeria and Nigerian products.
“I am proud to tell you that I brought a company that is the owner of Nigerian made tractors being assembled in Port Harcourt called Bob Track. They have offices all over the country. Here in Abuja, they have offices along Airport Road. They have tractors of medium and large sizes. They have keyed into the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda in food security,” he said.
Governor Sule was emphatic that with NASENI’s presence in the state, with its facilities in Nasarawa, Gora, Keffi and Lafia, it would be a win-win if the agency could enter into a partnership with Bob Track Tractor Limited to assemble tractors in Lafia.
“I feel you have all these investments in Nasarawa State. We must find a way to utilize it,” he said.
While noting that NASENI is yet to fully equipped the AMEDI, with a single CNC lathe machine on ground, Bob Track Tractor Limited have already imported its assembling plant and are ready to go into production.
“I feel this is happening in my state. I can not send them to you. I felt I had to come myself and introduce this relationship to show you how important it is for us. So that when you enter into the relationship with them, at the end of the day, the tractors that would be manufactured are Nigerian made tractors, which are in line with the dream of NASENI.
“Secondly, you are going to create employment opportunities for the people. And for them, this is one of the most wonderful things they could do because this is the era of collaboration with the new NASENI. At the end of the day, in Nasarawa State, the teeming youths will be employed,” he stated.
The Governor commended the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu and the management of the agency, for accepting to hold the meeting despite the short notice.
He used the opportunity of the meeting to congratulate Halilu on his appointment as the new the NASENI boss, as well as for recording a feat within one hundred days of his assumption of office.
In his response, the EVC/CEO of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the agency under his watch is very much business like, stressing that NASENI is willing to collaborate with Nigerian firms towards promoting local production.
” We are not merely a research and development center but we also want to have our products consumed by Nigerians. You have all our support, and we will work together towards achieving our objectives,” he stated.
In his speech, Ibifiri Bobmanuel, MD/CEO of Bob Track Tractor Limited, said his company is looking to partner through the government of Nasarawa State.
“Nasarawa State seats at a very pivotal point in the country where it is central to our markets, which is the agrohub in Nigeria. This whole project becomes most interesting and I will quickly thank the MD of American-West African Agro Limited, Mr Jerry for making all of this happen. Because he did speak a lot and from that he said I think it’s the right thing for us to do. We are very willing to take up the facility that you have there in Nasarawa State to see that we bring life into it, create employment and use it as a hub to drive the mechanized agricultural dream of the present administration,” he said.
Bobmanuel said his firm is willing to bring tools and investors to AMEDI.
“With the help of the Governor, his team and yourself I think we could put this into reality. Because, look our country is at a cross road where we need mechanization even the most in our history.
“Going by the inflation indices and all of that, agriculture and lack of mechanization seem to be the major obstacle that we need to crack. If we can come together and put this together, we will make a big dent in the inflation in our country because we will have food in abundance and in sufficiency for our people,” he stated.
Highlight of the meeting was Governor Sule’s visit to the Bob Track Tractor Limited head office in Abuja.