Yobe Transfers Four Agro-Industrial to Nigeria Food Corporation

News in Brief:

— The Yobe State Government has handed four state-owned agro-industrial assets to the Nigeria Food Corporation as part of efforts to revive industrial facilities and build an integrated agricultural value chain.

— The transferred assets include two flour and feed mills, a fertiliser blending company and the Damaturu Modern Abattoir, with the government targeting job creation, investment and increased revenue.

The Yobe State Government has formally transferred four state-owned agro-industrial assets to the Nigeria Food Corporation (NFC) as part of efforts to revive industrial infrastructure and develop an integrated agricultural value chain.

The handover, held at the Governor's Office in Damaturu, is part of Governor Mai Mala Buni's agro-food industrialisation strategy to move the state beyond primary agricultural production towards processing, manufacturing and other value-added activities.

Flour and Feed Mills Handed Over

The assets handed over to the NFC include Yobe Flour and Feeds Mills Company Limited and Wheat Flour Global Mills Company Limited, both transferred through Yobe Investment Company Limited.

The Yobe State Fertilizer Blending Company, Gujba Limited, was transferred by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Solid Minerals, while the Damaturu Modern Abattoir was transferred by the Ministry of Livestock Development.

Two additional assets, the Nguru Oil Mills and a property designated as the NFC headquarters, were listed for subsequent consideration pending reconciliation of shareholders' interests.

Government Targets Agro-Industrial Transformation

The handover ceremony was chaired by the Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Dr Mohammed Goje, alongside relevant commissioners and other government officials.

Goje said the transfer was intended to support the state's transition from a predominantly primary agricultural economy to a more competitive agro-industrial system.

According to him, placing the facilities under the NFC would provide a coordinated institutional framework for rehabilitating the assets, attracting investment and returning them to full-scale productive operations.

He said the objective was to ensure that existing industrial facilities contribute to economic development rather than remain underutilised.

NFC to Drive Value Addition

The Chairman of the NFC Board of Directors, Dr Sa'id Alkali Kori, commended the state government for entrusting the corporation with the assets.

Kori described the handover as both a major responsibility and an important step in Yobe's agro-industrial transformation.

He said the facilities could help the state move beyond the production and sale of raw agricultural commodities by processing local raw materials into higher-value products.

The approach is expected to create employment, attract private investment, strengthen local manufacturing and expand the state's internally generated revenue.

Connecting Agriculture to Industry

The Nigeria Food Corporation was established as a public-private partnership initiative of the Buni administration and is expected to play a central role in implementing the state's agro-industrial development strategy.

By bringing agricultural production, processing and manufacturing under a more coordinated framework, the corporation is expected to strengthen linkages across Yobe's agricultural value chains.

The transfer of the flour mills, fertiliser blending facility, and abattoir represents an attempt to build industrial capacity around agricultural production while creating more opportunities for farmers and businesses involved in processing and distribution.