Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo has announced that his administration has saved over N20 billion by recovering and refurbishing 200 abandoned tractors, which have been deployed for the 2024 wet season farming in the state.
The governor's Special Adviser on Media, Ismaila Isah, made this disclosure in a statement issued on Wednesday in Lokoja, the state capital.
Governor Ododo explained that the initiative to recover and refurbish the tractors, which were already out of use, was driven by the prevailing economic situation.
He assembled a team of engineers to revitalize the unused tractors, which were procured by his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, but left abandoned in various farm settlements within and outside the state.
The governor emphasized that refurbishing the tractors was more economical than purchasing new ones, which would have cost the state over N70 million each, totaling more than N20 billion for 200 tractors. He noted that spending billions of naira on procurement, shipment, and clearing would have been difficult.
Governor Ododo highlighted that his administration has already invested over N2 billion in bringing 140 tractors back to life. He emphasized that buying new tractors would have required tens of billions of naira, considering the time it would take to ship and clear them.
The governor expressed his administration's commitment to agriculture, stating that it has invested over N7.5 billion in providing farm implements, seedlings, and other essential supplies for nearly 10,000 farmers in 76 farm clusters across the 21 local government areas in the state.
Governor Ododo assured that the state's investment in agriculture would continue, with plans to expand farming to over 50,000 hectares in the next farming season to boost agricultural production and guarantee food security through all-year round farming in the state.
