How Bello’s love for Agric impacts food production in Kogi
…says state safe for business
As he bows out of office in a matter of months from now, Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello has said that his love for agriculture had positively impacted the food production in Kogi State.
He also said that his priority areas to revamp the dwindling state’s economy, achieve food security for the state, ensure protection of lives and property and upping the internally generated revenue have been achieved.
These, he said, was made possible as a result of the unity his administration has fostered in the state.
Speaking during an investment meeting with the Chinese, Bello disclosed that he has the political will to unite the people of Kogi State as brothers and sisters.
“That is why ever since I assumed office on 26th January 2016, I have been working tirelessly to ensure that I unite my people so that there is security of lives of my people and everybody that wants to stay, live and earn a living in Kogi State, including the Chinese and various investments so far in the state,” he said.
Kogi State is blessed with abundant natural resources, and Governor Bello didn’t waste time to provide agricultural equipment to the agriculture sector, donating seedling and other services that are essentially needed in the sector for the betterment of the ministry and the farmers in the state.
He made it clear that gone are the days when Nigerians fully relied on oil and gas industry, but that agriculture was the backbone of the country’s economy.
He urged the people of Kogi to take advantage of the arable lands available to them to grow in large and exportable quantity cashew, rice, cassava, seseame seeds and other cash crops found in abundance in the state.
At inception he told the people that the Confluence state would be the basket food of the nation if much more efforts were put in the agriculture sector.
Coming on board in 2016, he declared a state of emergency on agriculture sector which gave birth to the establishment of a 50-ton per day Rice Mill in Ejiba in Yagba West Local Government Area. It has since been completed and it’s currently producing Confluence Rice, one of the best in the country.
Over 800 hectares of rice farm have been cultivated to provide paddy for the mill. Cassava production has also improved in the state through the assistance of government.
Bello has through the Ministry of Agriculture, keyed into the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS), powered by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for youths and women empowerment, in the development of Aquaculture and Cassava Production.
Five cassava processing mills were equally established at Ogbadu in Dekina, Osara in Adavi, Ageva/Achoze in Okene and Aiyetoro-Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area to serve the cassava farmlands.
The Kogi Government under the scheme constructed 600 earthen ponds evenly distributed in the state’s three Senatorial districts; 200 in Idah for Eastern senatorial district, 150 in Ejiba for West, and 83 in Adavi-Eba and 67 in Geregu for Kogi Central. Some of the ponds have been allocated to beneficiaries.
His administration equally provided a Hatchery at Aiyetoro-Gbede in Ijumu Local Government which has been completely rehabilitated and has commenced the production of fingerlings/Juveniles.
Four Fish Feed Mills were established at Geregu, Idah, Ejiba, Adavi-Eba. The AADS programme also have 100 hectares of land each in Ojapata, Osara 1 and Osara 2, which have been cleared and tractorised and allocated to Kogi youths for Cassava production.
Working in conjunction with some World Bank-funded programmes, the Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support (APPEALS) project and the International Fund for Agricultural Development/Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD/VCD). Procurement of Farm Machinery and Farm Inputs The state government under the Agricultural Mechanisation Policy (AMP) of the Bello administration, secured approval and procured: 40 MF 375 2-Wheel Drive 75 Horse Power Tractors with full implements, such as three big threshers; power tillers, boom sprayers; rice reapers; and planters with fertilizer application attachment, as well as hubs and 10 ploughs to complement the existing tractors, while accessories for nineteen 6-inches water pumps were purchased for the irrigation activities of the ministry.
Bello is equally sensitive to women and youth inclusion in governance. He has also distributed 1000 power tillers to women farmers across the 21 local government areas of the state.
The administration has procured N59.8 million worth of Organic (Geo Plus NPK, Geo Green Urea) fertilizer handed over to the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support Project (APPEALS) which were distributed to farmers in the state.
Bello’s administration has also approved funds to procure agricultural inputs, chemicals, seeds, herbicides, seedlings, knapsack snacks and liquid fertilizer that were being given to farmers at subsidized rates and also repaired five abandoned bulldozers, low bed, and excavator.
Also, his giant strides in green house farming through the establishment of a greenhouse at Osara for cultivation of vegetables, pepper and tomatoes were in tandem with his promise to wipe off hunger in the state.
The administration also engaged a consultant for the Anchor Borrowers Programme and collaborated with the Central Bank of Nigeria to facilitate the empowerment of 4,955 farmers in which Rice Farmers Association of (RIFAN) partnered with the state government and enrolled 13,000 farmers across the state.
The government also released fund for the engagement of a consultant to carry out Study, Design and Production of Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation (BEME)
Document on Omi Irrigation Project spread on 571 hectares of land.
Again, Nursery sites at Kabba, Lokoja and Ochaja were resuscitated so that Cocoa, Cashew and Oil palm seedlings were raised for farmers across the state.
The Hatchery in Aiyetoro-Gbede was rehabilitated and it has commenced the production of fingerlings and juveniles; boreholes were also sunk in the ministry to provide water for the fish farm, while earthen ponds were equally constructed, about 3,000 fingerlings stocked there to enhance the demonstration of aquaculture activities in the Ministry of Agriculture.
When the team from Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Nigeria who were on study tour to Kogi arrived the state, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, David Apeh, while interacting with them disclosed that the governor has ensured that food security was guaranteed in the state through procurement of 40 tractors, establishment of rice Mill at Ejiba, increased crop production and its value chain, and development funds for all World Bank-assisted projects.
The commissioner also disclosed that the ministry had constructed and rehabilitated poultry pens for poultry production and organised ram fattening in the ministry for demonstration and to generate revenue.
Apeh pointed out that the governor had graciously approved the recruitment of 25 Veterinary Doctors in order to ensure good health and welfare of his citizens in the 21 local government areas of the state.
“The ministry flagged off the vaccination of 60,000 cattle against contagious bovine pleunopneumonia (C.B.P.P) across the state, and against Peste de Pestit Ruminants (PPR). The exercises were done free of charge for herders/farmers in the state.”
“A modern Abattoir was constructed in Lokoja (Felele), while a Slaughter-Slabs-and-Meat-shops-Implementation-and Enforcement Committee was set up. The Committee has commenced the registration and regulation of Veterinary Premises, Abattoirs and Meat Shops to ward off quacks.
“The Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on the establishment of a Bio-fuel factory and Sugarcane Plantation at the Alape Staple Crops Processing Zone,” the commissioner said.
According to him, “His Excellency released money for the survey of 20,000 hectares of land in the zone. This will create about 2000 jobs for our teeming youth in the State.
“On Alape Special Crops Processing Zone a stakeholders’ meeting was held in Kabba where consultants carrying out Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) were conducted and forwarded to the African Development Bank (ADB) for approval; we await the takeoff of the project.
“The World Bank-Assisted Project ‘Agro Processing and Productivity Enhancement Livelihood Scheme’ (APPEALS), has empowered 1,700 youths and women in Cassava, Rice, Cashew production and their value chain; Poultry and Fish production and their Value Chain.”
The commissioner added that the APPEALS had constructed Agro Processing Centres across the state, and assisted about 2,000 farmers in cashew, cassava and rice Production.
Apeh said that Kogi CARES (FADAMA), also a World Bank assisted project, was integrated to cushion the effect of COVID-19 in the areas of rice and cassava production as well as poultry farmers by giving them inputs across the state.
“The IFAD-VCDP, a World Bank assisted Project, is also assisting farmers in area of rice and cassava production, processing and its Value Chain in five local government areas.
“Mini Processing Machine for Rice and Cassava were installed in the five benefiting local government areas of Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Ibaji, Kabba/Bubu and Olamaboro.
Reports by the News Agency of Nigeria, disclosed that the IFAD-VCDP Country Director. Dede Ekoue, who led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Government House,
Lokoja, thanked the state government for all the support given to VCDP activities, especially the prompt payment of its counterpart funding.
Ekoue said the team was in the state for a Mid-Term Review (MTR) of IFAD-VCDP activities being implemented in nine states including Kogi.
She said: “The objective is to access all the progress made, look critically at challenges to be addressed, and opportunities to further leverage on to scale up the impacts.
“We want to do our work based on evidence which shows that youths are priority for Kogi State. We salute your dedication to gender equality as well as youth inclusion.
We already known that your leadership had been instrumental for the results we have achieved in Kogi and we want it sustained.
“About 6000 farmers have benefitted from various programmes under the IFAD-VCDP in the state. Farmers victims has already been given support through the distribution of inputs to boost dry season farming activities.”
Boosting Internally Generated Revenue
The Special Adviser to Kogi State Governor on Economy, Finance and Investment, Abdulkareem Siyaka disclosed that the state intended to hit the target of N591.6 IGR in 2023.
“We are actually getting less than 10 percent of what we should get from the resources that we have. About N591.6 billion is the size of our IGR per annum, but we have been able to put all the building blocks together. So, the building blocks are what you are seeing. The Chinese today have invited us and they are willing to invest in various sectors of our economy,” Siyaka said.
Speaking also, Enehe Sule Saline, executive director of Kogi State Internally Generated Revenue (KSIGR), said that the government has set a monthly revenue target of N2billion to increase the income profile.
“I am confident that with the unmatched work enthusiasms, we can hit a N2billion monthly target, to project the least.
“I believe KSIGR can only be better, since I have the right team of management and the even supportive staff primed to achieve excellence in service, dedication to duty through good conduct,” he said.
Asiwaju Idris, commissioner for Finance, pointed out that Kogi was raising its internally generated revenue base to N36billion this year .
He explained that the state has sound and prudent financial management system and equally put measures in place to ensure that the welfare of the workers is paramount.
On security
From the time he assumed office in 2016, Governor Bello has donated 304 patrol vehicles, 1,260 motorcycles and 10 trucks to security operatives in order to stamp out criminality in the state.
Speaking recently, the Security Adviser to Governor Yahaya Bello, Rtd Jerry Omodara said that Kogi used to be very hot before now.
“The government of Governor Yahaya Bello has been able to bring security in Kogi where the people are very free doing their legitimate businesses without any fear of harassment,” he said.
Omodara urged citizens and travellers to ignore false alarm on insecurity.
He advised that rather than escalating falsehood on social media, “it’s better you channel the information, whenever you discovered any security challenge or breach, to the security operatives for prompt action.
“This is because criminals coming into the state are quickly harvested. We are harvesting them even with those who ran to other states as we ensure we go after them and bring them back to face prosecution. All we expect from the public is timely information and the security agencies will do their job,” he said.
The security adviser however, added: “It’s true you can’t completely eliminate criminality in any society, but the compact system of neighborhood and the security architecture put in by the Federal Government in Kogi is working very well along with the will power of the Kogi government to deal with the emerging security situation.
“Till the last day of Bello in office as governor and even to the next government, we will continue to fight insecurity in Kogi for the good of our people.”
Businessday.ng
