VP Shettima Flags Off Construction Of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone In Kaduna

** Says project a presidential priority to industrialise agriculture, create jobs across Nigeria

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday in Kaduna State performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Phase 1 of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ), declaring it a strategic milestone in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plan to industrialise Nigeria’s agriculture sector and create sustainable jobs across the country.

The SAPZ is part of a larger national programme, with Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Cross River, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) among states in the first phase of the project.

Aimed at transforming Nigeria’s agriculture through innovation, private-sector investment, and strategic public partnerships, the zones are designed to create agro-industrial hubs that integrate farmers with processors, reduce post-harvest losses, and expand rural economic opportunities.

Addressing dignitaries and stakeholders at the vast expanse of land designated for the facility in Daki-Takwas, along Kaduna -Abuja, Expressway, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, VP Shettima described the SAPZ as a “presidential priority project” and a direct response to the longstanding challenges facing Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, including poor infrastructure, limited access to markets, and low value addition.

He expressed confidence that the initiative would catalyze economic growth by creating thousands of jobs and empowering Nigerian youths.

“We are not just breaking ground. We are building the infrastructure to feed our people, empower our youth, and fulfil the economic promise of our nation.

“This is not just about bricks and mortar. It is about people. t is about the resilience of our farmers, the ingenuity of our entrepreneurs, and the commitment of our government to build a future that works for everyone,” the Vice President said.

The VP noted that while the nation cannot afford to be chained to outdated systems while the world moves with urgency towards innovation, the SAPZ initiative is a strategy that “lays the foundation for real economic transformation.”

Senator Shettima praised the Kaduna State government for its leadership in agriculture, describing the state as a key driver of Nigeria’s agro-industrial future due to its abundant arable land and historical role in agricultural production.

“Kaduna is not a stranger to agricultural leadership. What we are starting here today will become a model for other states to follow,” he said.

The Vice President also stressed the importance of involving young Nigerians in the agricultural revolution, noting that the SAPZ would generate thousands of jobs and equip the youth with the skills to become active players in the economy.

“The youth of Nigeria must not be spectators. They must be stakeholders and shapers of their own futures,” he said.

The SAPZ programme is being implemented with support from international development partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Earlier, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, described the SAPZ as a strategic investment designed to accelerate industrial development across Nigeria.

He said, “The SAPZ is a huge investment designed to position Kaduna State as a major player in Nigeria’s industrial development. The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s economic development.”

Governor Sani emphasised agriculture’s central role in Kaduna’s economy, saying it contributes 42% to the state’s GDP and employs 60% of the state workforce.

“In the 2023 budget we inherited, agriculture received just ₦1.4 billion. However, in 2024, we increased it to ₦23.4 billion, and in 2025, we have approved ₦74.2 billion,” he said.

Also, President of AfDB, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, applauded Kaduna’s commitment to the actualisation of SAPZ, highlighting the significance of agricultural industrialisation in the state’s economic growth.

He said, “Your passion for agriculture is impressive, and agricultural industrialisation remains the fastest way to develop the vast areas of Kaduna State. It has taken us eleven years to get here, and I am delighted that we are finally here.”

Dr. Adesina revealed that the AfDB has committed over $934 million towards the SAPZ programme across Africa, with an additional $938 million mobilised from partners.

He said the initiative is currently being implemented in 27 sites across 11 countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Madagascar.

Also, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, described the initiative as a turning point in Nigeria’s agricultural history.

“This programme will be a game changer. It is designed to attract private sector investment in agro-industrial processing, drive value addition, and enhance rural development. It will strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural ecosystem to respond favourably to the challenges of our time,” the Minister said.

For his part, the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, expressed deep appreciation for the project on behalf of the people of Kaduna State.

“We are indeed very grateful for this project. On behalf of the people and government of Kaduna State, we express our profound gratitude,” the royal father stated.

Dignitaries who attended the event included former Vice President Namadi Sambo; Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe; Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal; Minister of State for Industry, Trade, and Investment, Sen. John Enoh; members of the National Assembly, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia; representative of the Minister of Finance; members of Kaduna State Executive Council and State Assembly, and National Project Coordinator of SAPZ, Dr Kabir Yusuf, among others.

VP Shettima Flags Off Construction Of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone In Kaduna

ActionAid Demands Immediate Release of Arrested Protesters and an End to Brutal Crackdown on Peaceful Citizens

By: Michael Mike

ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately direct the Nigerian Police Force to end its reign of repression and ensure the unconditional release of all arrested citizens during the protest in parts of the country.

The organisation, through its Country Director, Andrew Mamedu said it is outraged by the shocking and violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in Abuja, Port Harcourt and other parts of Nigeria on Monday, April 7, and Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

Mamedu said the protests, led by the Take-It-Back Movement, were driven by rising anger over the unlawful declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State; the misuse of the Cybercrime Act to silence dissent; and unbearable economic hardship plaguing Nigerians, insisting that these are legitimate grievances, not crimes. Yet, the government has responded with force, and arrests.

Mamedu added that “the directive issued by the Nigerian Police to stop the protest on the grounds of ‘National Police Day’ is outrageous, unconstitutional, and entirely unacceptable. The Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to peaceful assembly and expression and no police memo can override that. This attempt to suppress dissent is not only unlawful but also deeply cowardly.”

Mamedu noted that: ‘‘Rather than addressing the nation and engaging with young people, the Nigerian Police responded with tear gas and unlawful arrests of peaceful demonstrators. The President and the Nigerian Police must understand that citizens will not tolerate this abuse of power. It is a direct assault on democracy. How many more people does this government plan to arrest if millions take to the streets? Do they plan to crush every voice demanding a better future. The heavy-handed response to these protests dangerously mirrors the brutality of the now-defunct SARS unit.

“The Nigerian government must remember the events of the #EndSARS protests, when young Nigerians rose in unity to reject police violence and impunity. The citizenry will not allow the nation to take that path again. Now is the time for the President to engage in meaningful, public dialogue with protest leaders and civil societyorganisations to address the real issues behind these protests’’

ActionAid Nigeria demanded the: Immediate and unconditional release of all arrested protesters; An end to the use of force, intimidation, and tear gas against peaceful citizens; Full respect for the constitutional right to protest, speak, and assemble; and Immediate investigation and accountability for all acts of violence or abuse by security forces.”

ActionAid Demands Immediate Release of Arrested Protesters and an End to Brutal Crackdown on Peaceful Citizens

Police Affairs Minister Says Budget for Police Information System before Tinubu

By: Michael Mike

The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam on Tuesday said Nigeria remains committed to collaborate with other countries in the West African subregion to fight back insecurity.

He said the nation was ready more than ever before to share information with other countries in the subregion towards ensuring enhanced security for Nigeria and the rest of the countries in the subregion.

Gaidam made the disclosure at the formal handing over of the West African Police Information System (WAPIS) to national and regional authorities.

WAPIS is an European Union sponsored information system implemented by the INTERPOL

The project which has lasted for 12 years is coming to a close and the sub-region is expected to take ownership of the project which aimed at developing the security information infrastructure of the police and other relevant agencies. The project also aimed at enhancing robust Information sharing on crime and other criminal activities within the subregion.

Speaking at the occasion which was held at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Gaidam said Nigeria has benefited greatly since the inception of the project.

He said with EU funding coming to an end, his ministry has prepared a budget which is already receiving attention by the President.

Gaidam said: “Today’s ceremony symbolizes Nigeria’s strong commitment and active role in regional security cooperation through the WAPIS Programme. Let us continue to build on these achievements and collaborate towards sustaining the WAPIS initiative, ensuring enhanced security for Nigeria and the West African Region.

“Understanding the imperative of sustainability, the Ministry of Police Affairs, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, has proactively submitted a comprehensive budget proposal to His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am pleased to report that this proposal is currently receiving commendable attention from the Office of the President.

“Moreover, as a further commitment to ensuring seamless and effective operation, I personally oversaw the provision of stable and reliable internet connectivity at the DACORE, facilitating continuous and effective communication with remote locations.

“Additionally, in our deliberate move to foster ownership and operational efficiency, the Ministry recently organized a three-day WAPIS Workshop themed “Interagency Collaboration on Information Sharing among Law Enforcement Agencies in Nigeria.” This vital workshop brought together key stakeholders from various law enforcement agencies, resulting in strategic deliberations that were encapsulated in a communique presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).”

The minister while commending EU and other partners for the initiative, also seeks the continuous support of the regional body, saying that “as we progress further in enhancing regional cooperation and security through WAPIS, aiming for sustainable peace and stability in West Africa.”

On his part, the President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray said the region is faced with monumental threats, some of them existential, because of its tmgeographical location as well as many other factors.

He noted that through IPWAS, ECOWAS is building security infrastructure instruments across member states and beyond in order to combat these threats, which include human trafficking, insecurity and other criminalities.

Touray, who was represented by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatal Musah, stressed that WAPIS has succeeded in bridging the gap in the area of information sharing and this needed to be taken further and that will require a continuation of the WAPIS agenda.

He therefore said that “ The platform, the digital platform for gathering, storing, managing, sharing information in order to enhance collaboration against criminality in our region could never have started at a better time than when it did.”

He however said the work is still in progress and has not stopped with the handing over of the project to ECOWAS, saying that: “ECOWAS still has not fully, under the WAPIS arrangement, completed the creation of a regional platform. Some of our member states are also lagging behind in even creating the network nationally in order to facilitate monitoring of criminal activities in our region.

“Those are very critical elements that we have to continue with. And we know that intelligence sharing is not easy because intelligence sharing goes to the very core of national security and people will say sovereignty and then all others.”

He also added that: “Even as the funding by the European Union is coming to an end, we need to broaden partnerships and still continue collaboration with the European Union to see what is possible in order to maintain the expertise that has been developed in the course of the WAPIS process. That is very important.”

Musah in an interview with the media, also stressed that the project is part of the infrastructure being built to fight criminality in the region.

He however expressed displeasure with the slow pace and the lack of platform by the region.

He said: “You know, the duration that this process has taken. It has been almost 12 years since it began. It just tells you about the slow pace that it has taken. And even as we speak, the regional platform is not ready, but they are handing over. And in some member states, even the inter-agency coordination mechanism is lacking.
Something about fighting crime requires a lot of political will and trust. Because criminality, who is a criminal, who is not a criminal, one man’s criminal is another man’s hero. So you need to build that common agenda.

“So the duration of it, and the fact that we have not been able to complete this process, are two of the challenges that we have now. And hopefully, after this handover, as we think about whatever is happening, we will see.”

He noted that the process will require “a lot of advocacy to make sure we push it forward. And then the principle of reciprocity. Meaning that we are not going to share our database with a region like the EU if they do not share their database with us. It has to be on equal terms.”

“So if we give you the petty criminals, you have them and the big shots are in the European capitals, in Latin America, then the whole exercise is futile. Because what you want to stop is to stop criminality from the countries of origin, the countries of transshipment, that is West Africa, and then the country of the end users in Europe and others.

“So if we do not have that network that brings all these factors together, then the database will be limited to our region. In terms of exchange of information, which is a good thing. But like I said before, even at that level, we haven’t reached there yet.”

The EU ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, on his part, said the project has been a success, stating that:
“Well, we think the programme has been very successful, because we’ve seen that it has been adopted by the individual countries. And there were around 750,000 datas entered into the platform.

“Criminals, stolen cars, stolen objects, fraudulent documents, stolen documents. And it has led to success in law enforcement. So that’s really the reason for the objective of the programme.”

He also said the EU will be willing to share Information with ECOWAS, saying “ one of the interests of such a platform is also to open the possibility of exchanging data out of the region, out of West Africa, also through Interpol. And the fact that Interpol is so much involved in this programme, of course, is a very important asset from this point of view. But the most important part is for each individual country to have this digital platform, and for the cooperation between the countries of the region.”

Mignot, while stressing the importance of the platform, said: “Because today, crime is transnational, very much. And so, if you don’t know the information that your neighbouring country has, you won’t be able to fight crime efficiently.”

He also revealed that the project has received funding of €38 million over 13 years, since its inception in three phases.And the third phase, which will be closing in a few weeks, was financially the most important with 28 million euros in financing.

On his part, INTERPOL Executive Director for Police service, Cyril Gout spoke about the challenge of bringing all the ECOWAS countries on the same digital page.

He said: “And the most pressing challenge is having all those countries contributing on their sides or allocating resources, but also deciding themselves to share a legal framework. To share a legal framework, to be consistent in the information that they do share through the police information system. So twelve years, it’s a while, but it’s just sufficient to be at the level where we are today.”

He also stressed that it is the beginning of a new, safer era. “That’s the beginning of new initiatives where the governments, where the countries of West Africa take ownership of what they have. Towards digitalisation, towards access to more information in the region, to bring this information for the success of investigation, to have more safety in controls.”

Police Affairs Minister Says Budget for Police Information System before Tinubu