The Ebonyi State Government has approved N500 million to procure 250 agricultural power tiller machines for farmers across the state, while it cancelled some stalled road contracts in the rural areas.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Ikeuwa Omebeh, disclosed this to newsmen during a briefing on Wednesday.
The briefing centred on the outcomes of the March 4 and 17, 2026 State Executive Council meetings.
The Commissioner explained that each tiller is valued at about N2 million, describing the purchase as a deliberate step to deepen mechanisation and boost productivity among smallholder and medium-scale farmers who constitute the backbone of the food system.
Omebeh said: “By this intervention, the government hopes to significantly enhance mechanisation, increase productivity, and reduce farming drudgery.
“The initiative is also expected to empower farmers, create employment opportunities, and encourage youth participation in agriculture.”
The council also approved N300 million as the state’s 10 percent counterpart contribution to the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) for the 2026 fiscal year.
Expressing displeasure over slow and abandoned projects, the council ordered the termination of all outstanding 2km rural road contracts yet to be completed, an initiative earlier launched by Governor Francis Nwifuru.
Omebeh said the February 3 SEC meeting directed supervising committees to inspect sites and recommend termination of jobs not seriously ongoing or poorly executed, while also reviewing and certifying payment certificates before any disbursement.
On education infrastructure, the council reviewed progress on the 22 model secondary schools and approved that effective March 4, 2026, any contractor who received funds but has not reached parapet level should be arrested and the money recovered.
Other approvals included N1.3 billion to begin air-conditioning installations at the Ebonyi State Trade Centre, construction of a new ultra-modern Government House Clinic, and hosting investors plus allocating space at Ezzamgbo Industrial City for a waste-to-energy and solar-to-energy project proposed by a Chinese municipal council and its partners.
As a posthumous honour, the council endorsed rebuilding the palace of Ezeogo Dr. Francis Akanu Ibiam, the first indigenous governor of the defunct Eastern Region.
Omebeh called it “government’s practical step to honour the foremost founding father and revered Igbo leader who paid his dues in both state and nation building”.
To curb exploitative housing practices, Exco proposed a bill to regulate landlord-tenant relations and agent fees, capping charges at two percent of annual rent.
Another proposed bill seeks to regulate the buying, selling, possession, transportation and disposal of metal and electrical scraps in the state to check vandalism, environmental degradation and promote public safety.
