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The Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), implemented by the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) and jointly funded by the Kano State Government, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF), on Wednesday commenced an extensive distribution of agricultural machines and equipment to smallholder farmers across all 44 local government areas of the state.

The distribution exercise, which took place at one of the project’s storage facilities in Kano, marked the beginning of what stakeholders described as a major push to enhance mechanized farming, boost productivity, and reduce the drudgery associated with manual agricultural practices in rural communities.

Speaking during the official flag-off ceremony, the KSADP Project Coordinator, Comrade Abdulrasheed Kofar Mata, said the initiative is part of the project’s tradition of deepening engagement with the media through field-day activities aimed at showcasing progress and connecting journalists directly with farming beneficiaries.

According to him, the Mega Media Field Day, an annual flagship event of the Sasakawa Africa Association, has been expanded under KSADP due to the project’s wide reach and the need to properly document and publicize the significant achievements recorded across the state’s agricultural sector.

“Every year, we invite the media to meet the farmers we support, listen to them, and report their experiences,” he stated. “With KSADP’s expanded interventions across Kano State, we felt it was important to intensify this model so that the achievements of the project can be well documented and widely shared.”

Kofar Mata revealed that the project has procured a total of 98 tractors, each fitted with trailers, ploughs, and harrows for distribution to beneficiaries. Out of this number, ten tractors had earlier been commissioned at the mechanization center, while an additional eight were officially presented at Wednesday’s event.

The remaining 80 units, he said, will be dispatched to other mechanization centers and farmer clusters across the state in the coming days.

Beyond tractors, KSADP is also distributing a wide range of smaller agricultural machines to further strengthen mechanization at the grassroots level.

These include 410 mini tractors, 160 multi-crop reapers, 150 maize reapers, and 100 rice reapers, all aimed at supporting farmers involved in grain and staple crop production.

The coordinator noted that the provision of this equipment is expected to transform farming operations, improve yields, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase the income of smallholder farmers, who make up the majority of Kano’s agricultural workforce.

He added that the support aligns with KSADP’s broader objective of enhancing food security and accelerating rural development across Kano State.

Kofar Mata further commended the funding partners, Kano State Government, IsDB, and LLF for their continued investment in the agricultural sector, stressing that the success of KSADP has become a model for other states and international partners seeking scalable, community-driven agricultural transformation.

Stakeholders expressed optimism that the distribution exercise would significantly strengthen agricultural productivity ahead of the next farming season, while also encouraging more young people to engage in mechanized agriculture.

Journalists who participated in the field day interacted with farmers, inspected equipment, and observed demonstrations of how the machines will be used for land preparation, crop harvesting, and other farming operations.

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has strongly dismissed the recent allegations made by United States President, Donald Trump, alleging that Christians are being systematically killed by Muslims in Northern Nigeria.

Reacting to the statement in Abuja, the Forum’s spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jiddere, described Trump’s comments as false, unfounded, and deliberately provocative, aimed at creating religious tension and misrepresenting the realities of Nigeria’s security situation to the international community.

Professor Jiddere explained that insecurity in Northern Nigeria is not driven by religion, but rather by complex issues such as banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, farmer–herder conflicts, and poverty, which have affected both Muslims and Christians without discrimination.

“It is unfortunate that a former American president would make such a sweeping and divisive statement without understanding the true nature of our security challenges.

The Northern region, like other parts of the country, has suffered from insecurity for years, and both Muslims and Christians have been victims of violence, displacement, and loss,” he stated.

He further emphasized that no credible evidence supports the claim of a religiously motivated campaign against Christians in the North, adding that the NEF condemns all forms of killings, regardless of the identity, faith, or background of the victims.

Professor Jiddere also called on international figures and foreign media outlets to avoid making inflammatory statements or adopting narratives that could deepen division among Nigerians.

He urged them to engage with verified sources and to support peace-building initiatives rather than spreading misinformation.

“Killings in places like Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Plateau, and Benue are the result of criminal activities and the struggle for resources, not religious persecution. Bandits and insurgents target communities indiscriminately. It is therefore wrong and dangerous to interpret such acts as Muslims attacking Christians,” he added.

The Forum reaffirmed its commitment to working with both federal and state governments, as well as religious and community leaders, to find lasting solutions to insecurity in the region.

It also urged Nigerians to remain calm, united, and vigilant in the face of external attempts to divide the country along religious or ethnic lines.

“America is violating international law. According to the United Nations Charter, no country has the right to interfere in the domestic affairs of another sovereign nation. In my view, the United States is doing this purely to advance its own economic interests,” he said.

“Nigeria’s challenges require collective efforts, not hate speech from outsiders. We must reject any narrative that seeks to turn citizens against one another,” the statement concluded.

The Ekiti State Government has refuted reports claiming it is constructing a new Governor’s Lodge in Abuja for Governor Biodun Oyebanji and his deputy, Monisade Afuye, at a cost of ₦1.8 billion.

According to an online report, ₦470 million had already been spent on the alleged project.

However, in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti by the Special Adviser on Information and Value Orientation, Mr. Taiwo Olatunbosun, the government dismissed the claim as false, misleading, and aimed at deceiving the public.

Olatunbosun clarified that the budgetary allocation in question was not for a new building but for the completion of the existing Abuja Governor’s Lodge, an ongoing project inherited from the previous administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

He further explained that the project was initiated before Governor Oyebanji took office but was delayed due to insufficient budgetary provisions in earlier years.