Minister Wants Tractors To Replace Armoured Tanks To Boost Food Security

Philip Daniel Yatai
May, Sat, 2025

Defence/Security

Minister wants tractors to replace armoured tanks to boost food security

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By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Federal Government aims to shift from military equipment to agricultural tools, specifically replacing armoured tanks with tractors and machine guns with milking machines, to bolster food security.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Dr Abubakar Maiha, this known during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Counter Terrorism Centre – Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA) and International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Friday in Abuja.

This initiative, he said, focuses on modernising the livestock sector and increasing food production through technology and precision farming.

He said the collaboration between NCTC and IITA was a noble framework for integrating ex-combatants into the normal society to support President Bola Tinubu’s agenda on food security.

According to him, once people are productively engaged, they will not be available for recruitment into violent crimes no matter the enticement.

“This is what we are looking at and our vision today in the country we want Nigeria’s countryside to be the symbol of what we want.

“We use tractors to replace armoured tanks, and we want milking machines to replace machine guns because they have no place in our countryside.

“This is what the ministry is driving, and we are going to work with NCTC-ONSA and other MDAs in terms of empowerment of women and youths,” he said.

In her remarks, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Iman Suleiman -Ibrahim, commended NCTC and IITA for the innovative partnership in advancing Nigeria’s peace and security through inclusive and sustainable approaches.

Suleiman-Ibrahim said that agro-business, allied with the empowerment project, was a vital step in addressing the root causes of violent extremism, particularly amongst vulnerable populations, which includes women, youths, and families at risk.

She emphasised that empowering women and marginalised groups was essential for sustainable peace and development in the country.

According to her, family units, particularly women, are central to community resilience and affirmed commitment to ensuring women’s active participation in livelihood programs through integration and community development initiatives.

Also, Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, represented by his Deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, said it was incumbent on levels of government to support the initiative for collective good.

Sule said the North Central region in particular was faced with associated security challenges with attendant consequences on its agriculture and other facets of human development.

He said that application of kinetic approach alone in the fight against insecurity was not sufficient in addressing the peculiar security challenges.

He said that the MOU which targets on enhancing food security and agricultural development would have a better and more sustainable synergy in addressing the nexus between food security, agriculture, and counterterrorism in the country.

On his part, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Malam Bukarti Tijani, said that Borno alone had over 200,000 repentant terrorist Combatants.

He said the situation had brought to fore the importance of the MoU while looking at non-kinetic approaches to bring more terrorists to voluntarily surrender.

This, according to him, is to ensure that after surrender, communities being resettled would have livelihoods in agriculture as relative peace has come to the region.

“So, the state governments in the Northeast region are battling with their finances to settle and also to find livelihoods,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

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