The Federal Government has stated that agricultural mechanization and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, SAPZ, are critical to achieving national food sovereignty.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, made this known during the Prof. Gabriel Ayodele Makanjuola Lecture Series (GAMALS), held recently at Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife in Osun State.
The lecture, themed “Honouring the Nigerian Forerunner of Agricultural Engineering at 90: Legacy, Leadership and the Future of Agricultural Transformation”, marked the 90th birthday of Prof. Makanjuola.
Kyari highlighted that under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, “mechanization is no longer optional. It is now an instrument of economic sovereignty.”
He added: “Agricultural engineering is no longer merely a supporting discipline. It is a strategic pillar of national transformation. But mechanization carries it forward. Not for the large estate alone, but scaled to the hands of the smallholder. These are the men and women who feed this nation, and they are who our strategy must reach.”
According to the Minister, “We celebrate an idea powerful enough to shape generations. It is the celebration of a man who did not wait for the future of agricultural engineering to arrive before he built it.”
“We gather in this great citadel of learning to salute a national pathfinder, pacesetter and trailblazer whose ideas helped engineer Nigeria’s agricultural modernization journey and whose classroom became a training ground for global leaders.”
Kyari noted that the life of the nonagenarian shows that nations are not transformed by policy declarations alone but by “people whose imagination breeds innovation, whose research breeds industry and whose teaching breeds leadership”, adding that the professor’s “story is a proof of concept that enduring greatness is built not by visibility but by utility.”
He revealed that the Professor’s work proved that “technology becomes transformational only when it reduces human drudgery, improves productivity, creates wealth, and restores dignity.”
Kyari cited Makanjuola’s innovations in food processing, agricultural machinery and post-harvest engineering, including yam pounding machines that earned three British patents. “When a Nigerian professor’s innovation earns three British patents, it is proof that African professors can produce world-class solutions,” he said.
“Prof. Makanjuola is an Iroko tree that became a forest. He laid the intellectual and professional foundations that elevated agricultural engineering into a recognized force for national development. The nation honoured that work with the Nigerian National Order of Merit, and he became one of the foremost architects of the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers (NIAE),” Kyari added.
He listed the administration’s priorities to include “expand agricultural mechanization, accelerate agro-industrialization, increase value addition and scale digital agriculture.”
“Nowhere is this clearer than in the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, SAPZ, programme, where all of these priorities converge,” he stressed.
The Minister said SAPZ “brings agro-processing directly to where our farmers produce” and “is a flagship programme in Africa,” adding that the programme converts “our raw harvests into finished value.”
“Our mission is not simply to grow more food. It is to build a resilient, tech-driven agricultural economy. A Nigeria that feeds itself on its own terms, controls its own food future, and trades with the world from a position of strength,” Kyari added.
While calling on young engineers to emulate Prof. Makanjuola, the Minister said, “Study Prof. Makanjuola as a model. He did not chase recognition. Recognition followed relevance. He did not inherit institutions. He built them.
“Nigeria’s next agricultural engineering revolution requires builders of that caliber. Do not chase the applause; chase the impact. On behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I salute this legendary son of Nigeria.” He concluded
Ezeaja Ikemefuna
Head, Department of Information
2/7/2026
