Maiduguri, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has launched a new initiative aimed at boosting agricultural productivity by commissioning over 375 revitalised tractors. The machines, refurbished by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), are part of the “National Assets Restoration Programme.”
Vice President Shettima officially launched the programme on Sunday, June 8, at the Borno State Agricultural Mechanisation Agency in Maiduguri, Borno State.
“This initiative, the NASENI Asset Restoration Programme, is a response to our cross-generational dilemma about what to do with abandoned and poorly maintained assets owned by the nation and the people,” Mr Shettima stated. He described it as “a powerful shift in how we think about value, sustainability, and innovation,” aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s vision to build a “productive, self-reliant, and diversified economy.”
The Vice President commended NASENI for “stepping forward with this brilliant idea to mitigate a national tragedy,” highlighting the agency’s potential as a “national nerve centre for technology transfer, home-grown engineering, and adaptive innovation.”
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, noted that the commissioned tractors were initially procured by his predecessor, Senator Kashim Shettima, during his tenure as governor. “He procured 1,000 tractors with their implements. His investment is the single largest not just in Borno State but also in Nigeria,” Governor Zulum said, praising NASENI for restoring the broken-down tractors belonging to the state government without charge.
Khalil Halilu, the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, emphasised that the programme demonstrates Nigeria’s capacity for indigenous solutions. “We are building local capacity, developing talent pipelines, and enabling technology transfer at scale,” he said, adding that NASENI is “quietly but boldly proving that government can deliver, and that transformation is possible.”
Mr Halilu revealed that a national survey by NASENI identified over 47,000 broken-down but serviceable agricultural and law enforcement assets across Nigeria. He stated that the cost to replace these assets would exceed ₦14 trillion (approximately $9.4 billion USD). However, he explained that restoration costs only 15 to 25% of the replacement value, potentially saving the nation over ₦10 trillion (approximately $6.7 billion USD) while simultaneously boosting productivity, job creation, and security.
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, described the programme as a welcome development that will be “instrumental to meeting the food security goal of the Renewed Hope Agenda of government.”
The Asset Restore programme, supported by NASENI’s technical partner, the Machine and Equipment Corporation Africa (MECA), began in December 2024 with the aim of restoring valuable government assets that had fallen into disuse.
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