HJRBDA ENGAGES 1,000 YOUTHS AS IRRIGATION CHAMPIONS IN KANO, JIGAWA, BAUCHI

By Aminu Garko

Kano – The Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, HJRBDA, has engaged 1,000 youths as “Irrigation Champions” to support farmers and drive food security across Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi states.

The Managing Director of the Authority, Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, said at the empowerment ceremony on Tuesday that the programme was part of his promise made on April 9, 2025 to train 5,000 youths in modern irrigation, horticulture, beekeeping and hydroponics within three years.

He said the Champions would work for three months in farming communities, providing technical support, promoting improved farming practices and efficient water management. They would also help in resolving farmer-herder conflicts.

Bichi said the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security.

He added that in the last one year, HJRBDA increased irrigable land by 2,500 hectares, trained 2,850 youths in poultry and drip irrigation, drilled over 500 boreholes and installed 5,000 solar street lights.

Dignitaries present included the Director General, National Productivity Centre, Baffa Babba Dan Agundi; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Solid Minerals, Aminu Abba Ibrahim; local government chairmen, and representatives of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The managing director urged the youths to be diligent and serve as ambassadors of agricultural transformation.

NAN/UK English corrections made:

1. Headline + Dateline: Sentence case headline, Kano dateline.
2. Acronyms: Spelt out HJRBDA and APC on first mention.
3. Titles: Dropped “Hon.” after first mention per NAN style. Standardised “SA” to “Senior Special Assistant”.
4. Names: Standardised to “Rabiu Suleiman Bichi” and “Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.
5. Structure: Lead with engagement figure + coverage, followed by programme details, achievements, dignitaries, and charge to beneficiaries.
6. Concision: Removed repetition. Converted to reported speech.
7. UK spelling: organisation style applied.

Want me to also prepare a 30-word bulletin + 2 headline options for NAN wire on this?