The Jigawa State Government has set aside N615 million for a youth empowerment initiative aimed at expanding date palm production across the state.
This was revealed by the Commissioner for Information, Youth, and Sports, Mr. Sagir Musa, during a media briefing held after the State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday.
Musa explained that the programme is designed to strengthen the agricultural value chain—specifically in date palm cultivation—while also generating jobs for thousands of young people in the state.
“The project is expected to engage youth for an intensive training on date palm cultivation, aimed at providing direct and indirect employment to 5,000 youths.
“This is part of Gov. Umar Namadi’s administration’s commitment to reposition Jigawa as a key player in agriculture, especially in date production and to enhance its contribution to Nigeria’s economy,” the commissioner said.
He further disclosed that the Date Palm Plantation Committee, established by the government, had identified six strategic locations deemed ideal for the establishment of large-scale plantations based on environmental and soil suitability.
Beyond employment generation, Musa said the initiative is also geared toward environmental restoration, curbing desertification, and alleviating poverty in the region.
In another development, the commissioner announced that the executive council had reviewed an update from the Committee on the Retrieval of Farmland Allocations, chaired by the Secretary to the State Government, Malam Bala Ibrahim.
According to Musa, the committee has made significant headway in tracing and reclaiming government-owned agricultural lands that were either misallocated or left undeveloped.
“It has outlined significant strides made in identifying and reclaiming farmlands that were previously illegally allocated but left undeveloped or misused.
“This initiative is part of the administration’s broader strategy to ensure that all available agricultural resources are fully utilised to support food security, create employment, and promote sustainable economic growth across the state.
“It will also safeguard the integrity of all grazing reserves and protect the gazette forest reserves across the state and beyond,” Musa said.
