The Yobe State Government has transferred four key agro-industrial facilities to the Nigeria Food Corporation (NFC) as part of measures to revive the state’s industrial sector and advance its Agro-Food Industrial Revolution.
The handover took place at the Governor’s Office in Damaturu and was presided over by the Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Dr. Mohammed Goje, in the presence of the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Solid Minerals and Tourism.
Established through a Public-Private Partnership initiative of the administration of Governor Mai Mala Buni, the Nigeria Food Corporation is expected to serve as a major vehicle for the state’s agro-industrial development and transformation agenda.
According to a statement issued by the Media Coordinator in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, the facilities transferred to the corporation include Yobe Flour & Feeds Mills Company Limited and Wheat Flour Global Mills Company Limited, both previously under the Yobe Investment Company Limited. Also transferred was the Yobe State Fertilizer Blending Company, Gujba Ltd, formerly managed by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Solid Minerals, as well as the Damaturu Modern Abattoir, which was under the Ministry of Livestock Development.
The statement further disclosed that Nguru Oil Mills and the property earmarked as the headquarters of the Nigeria Food Corporation are among two other assets scheduled for consideration at a later stage. Their transfer, it noted, is subject to the reconciliation of shareholders’ interests.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Mohammed Goje, said the transfer was consistent with Governor Mai Mala Buni’s vision of repositioning Yobe as a competitive agro-industrial hub.
He said the move was aimed at restoring the functionality of the state’s industrial assets, boosting productivity, generating employment and strengthening government revenue.
Goje added that transferring the facilities to the Nigeria Food Corporation would create a unified institutional structure for their rehabilitation, attract investment and facilitate their eventual return to full-scale operations.
The handover documents were executed by the Chairman of the NFC Board of Directors, Dr. Sa’id Alkali Kori, and witnessed by the Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Babagana Mohammed Adam.
Representatives of the Yobe State Government who signed the documents included commissioners from the relevant ministries, the Director-General of YAPPPIP, Dr. Aliyu Isa Chikaji, who participated virtually, and the outgoing Managing Director of Yobe Investment Company Limited, Hamza Saidu. The new Managing Director was represented by the company’s Secretary, while legal representatives of the government and other officials were also present.
