Niger Foods has donated farm equipment to select boarding schools in Minna, the Niger State capital, in a bid to promote agricultural activities and enhance food self-sufficiency among students.
According to a statement by the company’s Information Officer, Rashidat AbdulRahman, the support was disclosed by the State Liaison Officer between Niger Foods and Logistics Company and the Office of the Director General of School Reform, Joyce Jiya.
She said the farming equipment—including seedlings, tractors, and herbicides—will enable students to produce part of the food they consume. Already, about 10 hectares of land have been cultivated by students of Maryam Babangida Girls’ Science College and Government Girls’ Secondary School, Minna.
Director General of Educational and School Reform in Niger State, Maimuna Mohammed, commended Niger Foods for supporting the ministry’s School Farm Garden Initiative and Intervention Programme, which aims to modernise agricultural practices in schools.
Mohammed explained that the scheme, introduced in five selected schools, aligns with modern agricultural technology and is part of Governor Umar Mohammed Bago’s directive for schools to teach entrepreneurship. She said the participating schools were chosen based on available land and security considerations, with Maryam Babangida Girls’ Science College, Government Girls’ Secondary School, a nomadic school, and some smart schools making up the first phase of the programme.
By Anna Moses
