(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/riceirrigationscheme-300x192.jpg) Northern States in Nigeria have been charged to begin to look inward and maximize the potentials of their vast landed resources through Agriculture in sustaining their state economies and attracting foreign earnings for the nation as the case was in past years rather than relying solely on Federal Allocation.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, his Special Duties counterpart minister, Malam Kabiru Tanimu Turaki and the Kebbi State Governor, Alh. Sa'idu. Dakingari gave the charge in seperate remarks in Kebbi State while leading members of the National Good Governance Tour on inspection of projects in Argungu including a Rice Irrigation Scheme which the State Government says has an estimated value of 5 billion naira.
Mr. Maku said "What we have seen with the acres and acres of dry season agriculture reminds us again of the possibility in northern Nigeria, that this region can actually take the upper hand in terms of creating wealth for its people".
He said: "As Minister of Information, I've continued to make this remark that the north is richer than any part of this country but we are sitting on our wealth when we don't know what to do with it. We are sitting on landed resources of Nigeria that can give our children 100 percent employment, that can give us so much domestic and foreign earnings if we exploit agriculture.
"We must begin to address the idea of waiting for revenue allocation from Abuja. I believe the oil we have can dry up but the soil we have in the north will never finish. As long as God allows the earth to survive our agricultural resources will remain. Revenue allocation can never give us sufficient money to develop infrastructure.
(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC_0057-300x199.jpg)"I've made the point that Saudana developed the north by agriculture, he didn't do it by oil money and the same resources are still here. So we are beginning to see evidence in Kebbi that we believe other northern Governors can copy particularly the issue of dry season agriculture using simple methods to give farmers water and use of simple implements".
The Minister further observed that the peace witnessed in Kebbi State was partly as a result of involving youths in the state in agriculture and he therefore proposed that as a lasting remedy to the security challenge in the region the youths need to be engaged and given something productive to do.
"Because of the peace we have seen, we have also seen evidence of development because development follows peace, there is an interconnection. Without peace you can't have development. Once there is sustainable peace, even if government does nothing, the people will do something for themselves. But when there is breakdown of law and order government can do nothing and the people cannot do anything for themselves", the Minister pointed out.
(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC_0019-300x199.jpg)The Minister further emphasized that with agriculture unemployment can be brought down and violence stopped in the North. "If people have things to do like I saw those youths on the (rice) farm there, when they leave the farm they are tired, they can't go anywhere to make trouble for anyone. We have to engage people, we have to give people what to do.
Reiterating part of the objectives of the National Good Governance Tour, Mr. Maku said "we are on this Tour because there are people who specialize in performing on the pages of newspapers so when you read the papers you will think they are the best but as we have been going round on this Tour we begin to see that there is a difference between propaganda and work on ground".
In the same vein, the Minister of Special Duties and Chairman of the Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, Malam Kabiru Tanimu Turaki who hails from Kebbi State said the issue of security was not the business of government alone. According to him, "There is no way government can do it alone and there is no way the security agencies can do it alone because security agencies are not spirits, they are human beings".
He said "When you create a fertile ground for engaging Nigerian youths, they do not only make themselves productive but they themselves provide employment for others. We have gone to the rice field and we have seen how youths have made themselves productive. Some of them are even students on holidays but they are not wasting their time, they are going to engage in fruitful ventures and in doing so they are not only adding value in the value chain of Agriculture but they are creating opportunities for other people to be engaged like they are. So we have a lot of work to do in Nigeria and our destiny is in our hands".
The Special Duties Minister equally called on other leaders in the north to begin to think inward and initiate people oriented programmes that will not only enhance capacity but also build various and very strong bridges of friendship across the various divides.
Earlier, the Kebbi State Governor, Alh. Sa'idu Dakingari said "We have estimated the cost of this rice. It is in the region of 5 billion (naira). If the farmers will have 5 billion in their hands you should know what they would do next year and this is our aim. I am ready to stick my neck out, next year will be better than this year".
While noting that the area was once overtaken by flood the Governor said: "Let me add a rider, sometimes disasters come and they can also be a blessing in disguise. We had a flood in these plains in 2010. The President was here and we flew over the whole river up to Birnin Kebbi. Now when u go tell him that during the disaster he gave us about 750 million naira to alleviate the suffering of people who were affected... I have invested about 4 billion naira into this.
"Every farmer affected was paid what he lost and this is the result you are seeing. The income given to people has been ploughed back into the dry season and this will go up to about 500 Kilometers from here, that is from Augie to the Lake Kainji in Wara.
The State Government officials said to ensure sustainability of the Rice Irrigation Project the Governor directed that the refined rice farmers association in Kebbi State negotiate with the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) to buy the rice at a price acceptable to the farmers and that the process is going on.
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria