Travelogue: A Journey To Lafia, By Yahaya Kana Onzonu
By Yahaya Kana Onzonu
Between Wednesday 22 January and Friday 25 January 2025, I visited Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, after a long absence. What struck me immediately was the familiarity of the place—odd, considering my previous visits never exceeded three days at a stretch.
The city, however, has acquired a fresh appeal. I don’t know if it’s the transformation of once-dirt roads into paved thoroughfares or the rapid housing development. Whatever it is, Lafia has evolved into a city worthy of its title.
Some things, though, remain unchanged—like the buka between First Bank and the INEC junction, where I used to indulge in much-needed pounded yam. Yes na, I like good local food. True to form, I couldn’t resist a visit. Predictably, the cost has now been, well, “Tinuburised.”
This trip to Lafia was intentional. I set out to achieve a number of things which include: exploring the city as much as possible and pay solidarity visits to my brothers excelling as heads of agencies and parastatals. I accomplished the first goal with satisfaction, going all the way to Federal University of Lafia and trampling on the grounds of the Lafia city wonder, the Lafia Under/Overpass. However, my second goal didn’t quite hit the heights I set out to reach, as many of the people I intended to meet were either out of town or too engaged to squeeze in the unplanned visit of a casual interloper (this is jocular). Still, I had a meaningful encounter with my elder brother, Mallam Ahmad Abubakar, the Centre Manager of the National Technology Incubation Centre (NTIC), Lafia.
Not only did this visit prove transformative, it sort of plugged the gap of all the other visits that I couldn’t make. Intuitively, I convinced Dr. Adamu Usman to join me, and it turned out to be a great decision. Under Mallam Ahmad’s leadership, the NTIC has devolved into a marvel—an untapped goldmine. The experience was so impactful that we returned the next day.
On the second day, we struck gold when two international agencies visited the NTIC, invited by a young entrepreneur admitted into the facility. We were having a tete-a-tete in Mallam Abubakar’s office when the leaders of two International organisations sauntered in. It was an eye-opener. HEIFER International, which empowers smallholder farmers (especially women) to improve food security and income, and AGRA (Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa), which supports agriculture across Nigeria, particularly in Kaduna State, shared valuable insights about they work they have been doing in Nigeria.
The head of AGRA Nigeria revealed they were in Nasarawa to launch a $370,000 grant aimed at boosting food security and fostering agricultural transformation in the state. This grant will fund the development of an Agricultural Policy and an Agricultural Investment Plan, alongside capacity building for the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources. Jesnoch International, supported by NASIDA and NADP, will implement the project.
This partnership exemplifies the Nasarawa State Government’s commitment to agricultural development and food security, with AGRA’s support “poised to strengthen its agricultural ecosystem and drive sustainable economic growth”.
Despite these high points, one disturbing revelation at the NTIC was the lack of homegrown entrepreneurs taking advantage of its facilities. The NTIC offers units to entrepreneurs whose business proposals are approved. These units, which must be partitioned into spaces for offices, stores, and production areas by the entrepreneur, come with free electricity and water for three years. Essentially, admitted entrepreneurs can start and restart without the burden of rent or utilities. This means three years to falter, steady, falter again until you gain firm footing without the pressure of rent or utilities. That’s not all. The centre is invested in the success of its entrepreneur, cashing in on its strategic partnerships to give budding entrepreneurs jolts where necessary.
The NTIC is also a hub for skills acquisition. With businesses already engaged in several activities including machine fabrication and agricultural value addition, aspiring entrepreneurs can be enrolled to acquire skills, after which, they could apply for, be assigned units, strike out and launch their ventures.
On the whole, this trip to Lafia — on my terms for the first time—afforded me the opportunity to see the city via a very different lens. While I can’t say much about what goes on in the minds of Lafia people in terms of their expectations from the place or those who run it, I saw enough progress to convince me that the city is evolving; that some form of development is being recorded!