Opinion

Soil, Sweat and Sovereignty: Kano’s New Agricultural Dawn

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<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"woiJU3Ok" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By&colon; Lamara Garba<&sol;p><div class&equals;"ATLOPVfx" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Kano’s destiny has always been tied to the soil&period; On Monday&comma; 4th August&comma; 2025 that bond deepened as Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf unveiled an army of 1&comma;038 young agricultural extension workers&comma; a new force tasked with reviving farms&comma; feeding families&comma; and fighting hunger across the state&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>From the bustling grain markets of Dawanau to the endless farmlands stretching across the savannah&comma; Kano’s lifeblood has always been agriculture&period; Regrettably in recent years&comma; the song of abundance has been strained by hunger and food insecurity&period; Nigeria&comma; a country with its growing population&comma; struggles with low productivity&comma; import dependence&comma; and a youth generation detached from farming&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>However&comma; Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf&comma; the Governor of Kano state has decided to change that narrative&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"WKvskOIu" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>In a ground breaking ceremony which took place at Coronation Hall&comma; Government House&comma; on Monday&comma; 4th August&comma; 2025 the Governor presented letters of employment to the new recruits under the Kano Agricultural and Rural Development Authority &lpar;KNARDA&rpar;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The governor who described the exercise as a turning point&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;You must shun absenteeism&comma; laziness&comma; misconduct&comma; and any form of corruption&period; As frontline ambassadors of agricultural transformation&comma; your conduct and commitment will directly influence the success of our efforts to revitalize agriculture and empower rural communities across the state&comma;” he told them&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf while reaffirming the commitment of his administration towards the development of the state described the new officers &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;change agents” who will guide farmers with modern practices&comma; connect them to improved inputs&comma; and offer innovative solutions&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We are building a new generation of field workers who will bring modern practices&comma; improved inputs&comma; and innovative solutions to our farms&comma; our cooperatives&comma; and our communities&comma;” he declared&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Indeed&comma; this policy comes at a time when food prices soar nationwide&period; The National Bureau of Statistics recently reported food inflation above 40&percnt; in many areas&comma; threatening millions of households&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>For Kano&comma; with its history as the North’s food basket&comma; agriculture is more than an economic sector&comma; it is survival&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This initiative is to enhance food security and raise household incomes&comma;” said State Commissioner of Agriculture&comma; Dr&period; Danjuma Mahmoud&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission&comma; Hajiya Ladidi Ibrahim Garko&comma; called it a &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;giant stride” in strengthening the state’s agricultural workforce&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>For the new recruits&comma; the gesture is life-changing&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We are thankful to the governor for believing in us&period; We assure you that we will do our best to enhance agricultural production in the state&comma;” said Saminu Sani Garba&comma; who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Observers and other political analysts say the recruitment could become a model for the nation&period; While federal promises on agricultural transformation often collapse&comma; Kano’s focus on human capacity stands out&period; It is not just about distributing fertilizers or importing food&comma; but about training people who can walk with farmers season after season&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>With this policy in place&comma; Kano has now become the leading state in Nigeria in terms of extension manpower&period; More importantly&comma; it has restored dignity to farming by placing knowledge at the center of production&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It should be noted that agriculture&comma; in Kano’s history&comma; is more than economics&comma; it is identity&period; For centuries&comma; farmers here have endured droughts and floods&comma; built irrigation schemes&comma; and sustained markets that fed nations&period; Undoubtedly&comma; farming teaches patience&comma; faith&comma; and humility&period; Perhaps&comma; by investing in extension workers&comma; Governor Yusuf is reviving this philosophy of resilience&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Every seed planted is an act of faith&period; Every harvest is a lesson in dignity&period; Perhaps&comma; the 1&comma;038 officers are more than names on a payrollvthey are the hands of change&comma; the bridges between tradition and modernity&comma; the quiet teachers of rural communities&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Therefore&comma; as Kano begins this new journey&comma; one truth stands clear&colon; food security is not charity it is sovereignty&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Therefore&comma; it is gratifying to note that any society that can feed itself certainly&comma; it cannot be enslaved by hunger&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Interestingly&comma; the story of Kano’s agricultural rebirth is still unfolding&period; But in its first chapter lies a lesson for Nigeria that leadership is not about slogans but about seeds&comma; not about promises but about planting&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>To the young officers&comma; the governor’s message lingers&colon; the task is great&comma; but so is the reward&period; In your hands lies the power to change how Kano eats&comma; how Kano lives&comma; and how Kano dreams&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>And so&comma; let the new creed be simple&colon; Every seed is hope&period; Every harvest is dignity&period; And every hand that tills the soil tills the future of Kano&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Lamara Garba&comma; is a Political Analysis&comma; writes from Kano<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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