Being Remarks by Atiku Abubakar, GCON, former Vice President Federal Republic of Nigeria, at the Ground-breaking ceremony of Rico Gado Nutrition Nigeria’s Factory at Idu Industrial Layout, Abuja
Protocol
In January 2015, I had the privilege of commissioning the Rico Gado Nutrition Nigeria’s first multi-purpose animal feed mill in Yola.
It was a good day, but when we toured the facilities, I was reminded of the ground-breaking ceremony in January 2013, when one of my good friends asked me: Turaki, are you sure this is the best time and the best place to invest in an agribusiness?
My friend had a point: many agro-allied businesses in Nigeria had failed, including my own earlier attempt many years ago. At the time of the ground-breaking, there was insecurity in the North East, which was affecting Yola and Adamawa, and the government of the time seemed unable or unwilling to do much to reassure people that they were safe. Thus investing in Adamawa did not seem like a wise move. But my friend’s concern was similar to the question some asked me when I decided to found the American University of Nigeria and locate it in Yola rather than such better-resourced centres as Lagos or Abuja.
Although the animal feed factory is a commercial venture while the university is philanthropy, my gift to my community, my answer then was similar to my answer in regard to AUN. I told my friend that I understood his doubts, but that I felt I had an obligation to help develop my town and my state and support the people. If we don’t do it, who would? I also told him that my partners in the joint venture all agreed that the time was right, and that the place would do.
We went ahead, and our construction and logistics teams completed the mill. It was commissioned on 31st January 2015.
We went ahead because we had faith in our joint venture, and because we knew that we had an opportunity to change the way our agricultural sector works, an opportunity to change the way local communities view new business, and an opportunity to change the way we Nigerians look at our economy and agriculture.
Today, the Yola feed mill is exactly what we had hoped for – an economically viable enterprise, and a catalyst for change.
The mill produces 20 tonnes per hour of carefully balanced and locally sourced quality fodder for a wide range of livestock, including poultry, cattle, goats, and horses. Specifically the products are egg program and broiler program (for poultry), beef program, calf grower, finisher and maintenance program (for cattle), and small ruminants feeds (for sheep and goats). Our compound feed allows hundreds of producers to rear their livestock faster, to make them fatter, and to keep their animals in good health. Our feed is reducing the expanse of land required to feed cattle, and we hope that in the future, it will help defuse the conflicts between herders and farmers that have plagued many agrarian societies before us, and that are currently costing us too many lives and livelihoods, and threatening our nation’s future.
Let me be clear: A profitable feedstock mill is no magic fix that solves all of our problems. It is a small piece in a big puzzle that will make our agricultural sector more attractive and more productive. And it is a small piece in the even bigger puzzle that will get us over our addiction to fossil fuels, and over our reliance on rent-seeking enterprises. Put simply it will help us get over our dangerous addiction to oil revenues.
Ladies and gentlemen: when we set up Rico Gado Nutrition Nigeria, we decided to invest in advanced state-of-the-art facilities because we wanted to be in a position to meet farmers’ needs and also have the capacity and flexibility to quickly respond to the needs of the market. We agreed that, if we wanted to succeed, we would have to offer our customers the best possible product at the best possible price, in the quickest possible time. And because we want farming to once more, become profitable
We are contributing to job creation, technology transfer and progressive change in farming culture. We believe there is a future in farming.
We went against the usual way of doing business in Nigeria because we did not just want to build a factory; we wanted to build a value chain. We wanted to ensure that the bulk of the value added stayed with the farmers who do the hard work of growing the grains and seeds we buy, process, and market. We want more people to engage in and profit from the cultivation of the seeds and grains we buy and process, and to have a long-term perspective on farming.
Ladies and gentlemen: it is early days, but I think we’re on the right track. I’m very proud of Rico Gado Nutrition Nigeria’s first plant and the agricultural cluster that is growing along its supply lines and that extends well beyond Yola and Adamawa state.
And I’m immensely pleased that, today, we are gathered here in Abuja to break ground for our second, even bigger plant, which will create an even longer value chain.This plant, on this 5 hectare land in Idu Industrial Layout ,is expected to be completed in 32 weeks. It will initially have an installed capacity of 50 tonnes per hour and will enable us serve a wider market as we prepare for building another plant in a third location soon.
Despite the doubts about our economy because of current challenges, we are confident about Nigeria’s future and about our future. I think I speak for my partners in this joint venture when I say: We know what we are getting into, and we’re doing it because we believe in Nigeria, because we believe that Nigeria will overcome its current difficulties, because we believe our nation will change for the better.
We break ground today because we know we can complete this plant on time and on budget; and because we can count on our management team and on our construction crew, because we know we can trust each other, and because we know we have the experience and the expertise to work around the obstacles we will face.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, we’re ready to tackle the challenges that will come our way. This is because we know we have a business that will increase agricultural productivity; a business that will help farmers adapt to a changing world; a business that will inspire others to follow in our footsteps and join our efforts to build a modern agricultural sector; a sector that can feed our population, our neighbours, and – at some point in the not so distant future – others around the world.
Distinguished guests, my dear friends: I believe that agriculture is a key ingredient in our nation’s future fortunes, and I’m proud that today, we’re taking another small step on our long walk to a more diversified, more productive, and more competitive economy.
Thank you for joining us in this adventure.
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