The Yobe State Government has transferred four dormant industrial assets to the Nigeria Food Corporation (NFC) as part of efforts to revive existing facilities and accelerate the state’s transition from primary agricultural production to agro-industrialisation.
The handover, held at the Governor’s Office in Damaturu, forms part of Governor Mai Mala Buni’s Agro-Food Industrial Revolution initiative, which seeks to link agricultural production with processing, manufacturing, job creation and investment.
The facilities transferred to the NFC include Yobe Flour and Feeds Mills Company Limited, Wheat Flour Global Mills Company Limited, Yobe State Fertilizer Blending Company, Gujba Limited, and the Damaturu Modern Abattoir.
The flour and feeds mills were previously held by Yobe Investment Company Limited, while the fertilizer blending company was transferred by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Solid Minerals and Tourism. The abattoir was transferred by the Ministry of Livestock Development.
The Nguru Oil Mills and a property designated as the headquarters of the Nigeria Food Corporation were also presented for consideration, but their transfer was deferred pending reconciliation of shareholders interests.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Mohammed Goje, said the decision was driven by the need to return dormant industrial assets to productive use.
Goje said the move was consistent with Governor Buni’s vision of positioning Yobe as a competitive agro-industrial hub through improved productivity, employment creation, investment attraction and increased internally generated revenue.
He explained that transferring the facilities to the NFC would provide a coordinated framework for their rehabilitation, investment and eventual full-scale operation.
“The essence is to ensure that these assets are put to productive use and contribute meaningfully to the economic development of Yobe State,” Goje said.
The Chairman of the NFC Board of Directors, Dr Sa’id Alkali Kori, who signed the transfer documents, described the development as both a significant milestone and a major responsibility for the corporation.
Kori said the assets would provide a foundation for moving Yobe beyond the production of raw agricultural commodities towards an integrated value chain where locally produced raw materials are processed within the state.
According to him, the initiative has the potential to create jobs, attract private-sector investment, increase value addition and boost the state’s internally generated revenue.
The handover was witnessed by the NFC Managing Director, Dr Babagana Mohammed Adam, relevant state commissioners, officials of the Yobe Investment Company Limited, legal representatives and the Director-General of the Yobe State Public-Private Partnership and Investment Promotion Programme, Dr Aliyu Isa Chikaji, who joined virtually.
Established as a public-private partnership initiative of the Buni administration, the Nigeria Food Corporation is expected to serve as a central vehicle for driving Yobe’s agro-industrial transformation by connecting the state’s agricultural resources with processing, manufacturing and other value-adding activities.
