By Ibraheem Al-hassan
(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/agric-300x152.jpg)As the National Good Governance Tour was going through the North Western region of the country, a lot is expected to be covered, this is simply because of its size in terms of landmarks and demographic characteristic, compared to other parts the country. The team's first point of call in the zone was Kebbi State, a.k.a. "Land of equity"; the host Governor, Alh. Sa'idu Usman Nasamu Dakingari received his guests led by Minister of Information Mr. Labaran Maku at the Government House in the State Capital.
What could be described as the hallmark of the exercise in the State was the discovery of the State's potentials in the cultivation of rice. There were lots of river plains and other water tributaries traversing the State as well as other fertile lands. That probably explains why the Governor, Alhaji Sa'idu Nasamu Dakingari declared to his audience at the town hall meeting which wrapped up the visit to the State, that the biggest sector that would be utilized by his government to mop up unemployment in the State is agriculture. He said, "We have all said we want employment. The biggest sector that can be used to employ many people is agriculture.... We are trying to expand our agriculture. I was just telling the Minister of Information that if we are cultivating one third of our FADAMA land by next year, we should be able to cultivate the whole FADAMA area....that we should not see any space (left uncultivated) on the FADAMA area from Augie to Wara.... we will put our money to cultivate these areas".
(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/onions-farm.jpg)The State government did not relent in the provision of farm inputs. The Governor said, even this year, rice farmers were given three bags of fertilizer. This, he said, was in realization that the sector is so huge to accommodate the array of unemployed youths in the State, while the remaining educated young men will be taken to educational sector to teach.
One other crop that the State is famous in it cultivation, is onions. The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said in Aliero Local Government, during NGG visit to the area to check the losses experienced by the farmers, by way of consoling the farmers, announced that the Federal Government is about to establish processing factory for onions in the State. He assured the community that he will work closely with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to facilitate a speedy establishment of the factory to sustain commercial production of the commodity and end the losses suffered by the farmers.
Accordingly, the Minister described onions' production as a viable venture that would be of social and economic value to the farmers and the country at large.
From what appeared to be an affirmation of the spirit of "Pear review" between Kebbi State and the Federal Government at ensuring that policies which benefit the masses are adopted by both, the State Government unfolded a proposal for prominent farmers in the area to be sponsored to Morocco to learn more on the production, processing and preservation of onions.
However, on the area of Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), the State Government has carefully strategized on how to deploy the fund shared to the State for optimal utilization. Areas mentioned for fund usage under the scheme thus were agriculture, first and foremost, sanitation, forestation and education. The State committee for SURE-P is composed of eminent State indigenes with track records in public service, as a guarantee for proper implementation of the programme.
Furthermore, including forestation in the SURE-P programme is to provide a fertile ground for the commencement of 'Green World Project' initiated by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo; a project aimed at reclaiming lands that have been overtaken by the desert especially in the extreme part of northern Nigeria. The programme was to be lunched in Kebbi State by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Other projects that have bearing with agriculture were not left uncovered. The State government has expended a huge sum of money in opening up the rural areas where agrarian activities were going on. Road construction projects were inspected by the tour team. Even feeder road projects of Local Governments across the 21 Local government areas were inspected. The State Government disclosed that the sum of N120 billion was committed within the last five years to facilitate transportation of farm outputs to markets through road projects.
The above probably explained why, at the inception of the tour, Governor Dakingari told the NGG team that no pothole will be seen on any of the State roads, because of the priority his regime accorded road infrastructure.
From the foregoing, agriculture stands to be the leading developmental prospect in the whole of the States in the Northern Nigeria if carefully harnessed. In the neighboring State of Zamfara, the State Governor Abdul-Azeez Yari, has left no stone unturned in the cultivation of cotton, which the State has comparative advantage in over other northern states. The Governor is empowering peasant cotton farmers with incentives to produce in commercial quantity. These efforts will definitely change the economic fortune of the country, from mono revenue base to multi-revenue sources, there by adding to the country's gross domestic product.
Ibraheem Al-hassan is an Information Officer serving at the National Press Centre.Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria
It's high time we recognised how important Agriculture is in this country called Nigeria. We have lots of farmlands here