The Yobe State Government has handed over four agro-industrial assets to the Nigeria Food Corporation (NFC) as part of efforts to revive moribund industries and boost agro-processing in the state. The assets include Yobe Flour & Feeds Mills Company Limited and Wheat Flour Global Mills Company Limited, both transferred by the Yobe Investment Company Limited; Yobe State Fertilizer Blending Company, Gujba Limited, transferred by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Solid Minerals; and the Damaturu Modern Abattoir, transferred by the Ministry of Livestock Development. The handover ceremony was held at the Governor’s Office in Damaturu and chaired by the Secretary to the Yobe State Government (SSG), Dr Mohammed Goje. The Nigeria Food Corporation was established as a public-private partnership initiative of the administration of Governor Mai Mala Buni to drive the state’s agro-industrial development. Speaking at the ceremony, Goje said the transfer was in line with the governor’s vision of repositioning Yobe as a competitive agro-industrial hub. He said the decision was aimed at reviving industrial assets, increasing productivity, creating employment opportunities and expanding the state’s revenue base. Goje said placing the assets under the NFC would provide a coordinated institutional framework for their rehabilitation, investment and eventual full-scale operation. Two other assets – the Nguru Oil Mills and the property designated as the headquarters of the NFC – were also listed for subsequent consideration, pending the reconciliation of shareholders’ interests. The transfer documents were signed 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. Signatories representing the state government included commissioners from the relevant ministries, the outgoing Managing Director of Yobe Investment Company Limited, Mr Hamza Saidu, and representatives of the incoming management, legal representatives of the government and other officials. The Director-General of the Yobe State Public-Private Partnership and Public Investment Promotion Agency (YAPPPIP), Dr Aliyu Isa Chikaji, joined the meeting virtually. Kori thanked Governor Buni for entrusting the corporation with the assets, describing the handover as a major responsibility towards achieving the state’s agro-industrial objectives. He said the transfer marked an important institutional step in the state’s efforts to move beyond primary agricultural production to an integrated agro-industrial value chain. According to him, the initiative would enable the state to process local raw materials, create jobs, attract investment and increase internally generated revenue. The corporation is expected to coordinate the rehabilitation and development of the transferred assets as part of Yobe’s broader Agro-Food Industrial Revolution.
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