Overlook the proposed subsidy strike action by NLC and TUC

1. For the records, I do NOT support any strike action, mobilized by NLC and its allies.

Why?

i. In this hard time, some people CANNOT survive without daily income. Why should I deprive them, of their right to DAILY survival?

ii. Personally, I feel the NLC and TUC, not forgetting ASUU have been too docile and tractable. Whatever, they want to do now, is medicine after death!

2. No doubt, deregulation of the downstream sector is the way to go. My pain however, is that this ought to have been done since 2012, but for politics... Since it is removed, the rest is history!

The argument of the government and its foot soldiers however, that the minimum wage will be jacked up, is NOT tenable. It is mischievous and misleading.

Why?

I. Majority of Nigerians are not salary earners. With a paltry 89,000 civil servants population already consuming over 600 billion naira salaries annually with little or no productivity to show for it, what will be the fate of over 170 million other Nigerians, who are with private firms, self-employed or unemployed? Will the private firms, also increase salaries to reflect the reality on ground?

ii. Will transport operators understand that it is ONLY the government staff whose salaries have been increased? Don't forget that it is only in Nigeria that things go up, but never come down.

iii. What about the farmers, the market women and students, whose mum is a fish seller? Who will defend their rights to higher income? Oh! They could as well, increase the cost of their services. Okay!

iv. What is the impact of the social inclusiveness, proposed by the government prior to the elections? The government should be reminded that those that voted them into power, were the unemployed, underemployed, farmers, artisans, etc who wanted change at all cost; and not the civil servants and or public servants.

It is therefore deceitful, for a democratically elected government, to bamboos us with salary increments. This will only make less than 3% of the entire population, smile to bank; leaving the rest of us deprived from the benefits, CAPITAL PROJECTS could provide.

But what can we do, in my FANTASTIC country, where the more you look, is the less you see.

Whatever the government would propose at this time, should trickle down to the bottom of the pyramid, because that's where the pains are felt most.

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Why many CEOs are tall people? The height of the matter, By Bisi Daniels

It sounds absurd, but studies continue to tell us that people have a more positive reaction to people who are tall. There are many empty tall people around town but that does not change the penchant of associating height with the quality of mind and strength.

Could this have a Biblical origin? Indeed the Bible describes King Saul as “taller than any of the people.” As a result, he just looked like a leader to Samuel and others.

Tall King Saul

Even though God later rejected Saul as king, Prophet Samuel repeated the wrong perception. When God led Samuel to select a new king, the prophet continued to focus on appearances. But God told him, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart”

Centuries later, this association has not changed. A survey of Fortune 500 CEO height revealed that they were on average 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall, which is approximately 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) taller than the average American man.

About 30 per cent were 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall or more; in comparison only 3.9 per cent of the overall United States population is of this height. Similar surveys have uncovered that less than 3 per cent of CEOs were below 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) in height. Ninety percent of CEOs are of above average height.

Strange! The insinuation of this study and others to be cited later is strange, and ordinarily sounds stupid. Many criminals are tall and huge people, cashing in on their physical advantage.

Shorter men

Besides, shorter men have been found to have the following advantages: Shorter people of the same proportion as taller people have many advantages based on the laws of physics, and these advantages are supported by many researchers.

World footballer of the year, Lionel Messi, is short, faster on the ball, more stable and hardly falls from clumsy tackles.

Studies have observed that shorter people have faster reaction times, greater ability to accelerate body movements, stronger muscles in proportion to body weight, greater endurance, and the ability to rotate the body faster. They are also less likely to break bones in falling.

As a consequence of these physical attributes, shorter people can excel as gymnasts, divers, skiers, martial artists, rock climbers, figure skaters, rodeo riders, soccer players and long distance runners. Within their weight classes they are excellent wrestlers, boxers, and weight lifters.

Unconscious prejudice

Despite all that, study upon study, observe the height advantage in the choice of candidates for top positions. Malcolm Gladwell, calls it some kind of “unconscious prejudice.” That is prejudice that we have that we aren’t aware of, that affects the kinds of impressions and conclusions that we reach automatically, without thinking.

May be! We tend to rate taller things better. Taller people on the whole are seen as more attractive and more persuasive; tall buildings and high mountains are somehow better than the lower ones nearby. Even language reinforces this prejudice. We talk about the upper class, people in high office, moving up the career ladder, and so on.

An inch of height is worth $789

Gladwell, bestselling author and speaker, says “most of us, in ways that we are not entirely aware of, automatically associate leadership ability with imposing physical stature.

We have a sense, in our minds, of what a leader is supposed to look like, and that stereotype is so powerful that when someone fits it, we simply become blind to other considerations.

And this isn’t confined to the corporate suite. Not long ago, researchers went back and analyzed the data from four large research studies that had followed thousands of people from birth to adulthood, and calculated that when corrected for variables like age and gender and weight, an inch of height is worth $789 a year in salary.

That means that a person who is six feet tall, but who is otherwise identical to someone who is five foot five, will make on average $5,525 more per year.

As Timothy Judge, one of the authors of the study, points out: “If you take this over the course of a 30-year career and compound it, we’re talking about a tall person enjoying literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of earnings advantage.”

Correlation between height and IQ

The issue is however taking a more serious dimension with recent studies showing some association between tall people and smart people. A new study from the University of Edinburgh finds the short people may not measure up to their taller peers intellectually.

Previous studies had identified a genetic correlation between height and IQ using twins and family members, but this study was the first to test the connection using DNA markers in unrelated people, study author Riccardo Marioni said.

Researchers analyzed genetic data on 6,815 men and women collected by the Scottish Family Health Study between 2006 and 2011.

“We tested whether DNA-based genetic similarities among people related to their similarities in height and intelligence,” Marioni said.

“What we found was a small association between height and intelligence such that people who are taller tend to be smarter.”

While the genetic correlation between being tall and being smart was “moderate,” study authors wrote, people who have both traits share common genetic variants.

Appearances are often deceptive

In conclusion, despite the flurry of suggestions linking height with superiority, I am yet to see a compelling evidence to shred the suggestion that the taller the better he is. The saying that appearances could be deceptive is a timeless caution that is yet to be trashed by new studies.

The brain of physicist Albert Einstein was removed within seven and a half hours of his death. It attracted attention because of Einstein’s reputation as one of the foremost geniuses of the 20th century. But at 5 feet, 7 inches, he was not strikingly tall. Einstein, a German-born theoretical physicist, developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics. Einstein’s work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science.

We all seem to get fooled to focus on appearances, on how things look on the surface, and influenced by what seems to be true. How wrong we often get.


Source: Premium Times

Kaduna Government to Supply 70,000 tonnes of Fertilisers for 2016 Farming Season

The Kaduna State Government on Friday said that it would supply 70,000 tonnes of fertilisers to farmers for 2016 farming season to boost agriculture in the state.

The Chairman, Kaduna State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture,Kasim Iliyasawa, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria.

“This year, we have made adequate arrangement to ensure that farmers actually benefit from fertilisers, unlike before, where a group of people will divert what is meant for the majority. Under the approval and leadership of Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i, we sat down with the companies involved and gave them our stores, five in every local government, where a farmer can go straight and buy fertilisers. In this system, there is no middleman, so that the farmers can get the commodity at affordable prices. The supply of first batch had since begun, second batch will come later,” he said.

He appealed to farmers to make effective use of the opportunity to improve their revenue base and contribute to national food security.

Iliyasawa pleaded with people to support government policies and programmes with a view to gaining more dividends of democracy in their respective areas. On the recent windstorm that rendered many people homeless in his constituency, Iliyasawa sympathised with the victims, and urged them to accept the will of God in good faith.

“I have visited the affected areas and sympathised with them. I have told the ward head of the affected area to select one of the victims so that I can lead them to the State Emergency Management Agency for appropriate action. I believed the Kaduna State Government will not relent in assisting such victims and I have also spoken to the Interim Management Committee Chairman for early response,” he said.

Source: NAN

Govt Can Take Any Land For Grazing Purpose – Adamu

Former Nasarawa State governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu is chairman Senate committee on Agriculture. In this interview with ANDREW OOTA,  he bares his mind on the controversies surrounding herdsmen, farmers clash over grazing lands, as well as the anti-corruption crusade of the government.

What is your take on the farmers and herdsmen conflict?

I have the privilege of being a farmer and that gives me the opportunity to appreciate the issues that make up the conflict between herdsmen and farmers. I have seen it from both sides of the coin. As a farmer who develops crops and when my cattle damage other farmers’ crops. On my farms today, you will find guinea corn, maize, millet, cassava, yam, tea plantation and many others, and to a very large extent, I have vegetables.

Therefore if a farmer complains about what happened to him, I appreciate because I have suffered the same fate. If a herdsman complains about harassment by a farmer, I have also had that experience because my cattle have gone out and damaged other farmers’ crops and we paid damages. In the same way, I have Fulanis or, some class of herdsmen, enter my farm where I suffered damages and they have equally paid compensation for the damages on my farm.

The whole problem is that the herdsman does not have clearly classified routes for him to walk his cattle in the cause of grazing and because of the absence of identified gazetted routes; he is at the mercy of the farmland owner through which he has to move his cattle. Sometimes it is not deliberate that he walks his cattle across farmlands, animals can stray and get out of control and cause some damages.

The traditional authorities that hitherto,  settled such issues amicably by assessing the extent of damages and awarded cost to the damages, are no longer there as a result of decay in the culture and tradition, lack of discipline on the part of both the herdsmen and the farmers, resulting to conflicts, such that it is difficult to apportion blame. But one issue that has come up very clearly is the proliferation of arms and I sympathise with those at the receiving end. The proliferation of arms cannot and must not be blamed on the herdsmen because communal unrests in localities over farmlands between farmers themselves results into high level of display of light arms and ammunitions.

There  are no herdsmen involved in that, so who brings the arms? During  political elections,  such as recently witnessed in Rivers and Bayelsa states , we saw massive, rampant display of light firearms and even in some cases, heavy arms, such as AK47 riffles. Herdsmen were not involved , so we have to be very careful when we make certain comments.

What is the senate doing?

We want to first get the facts and see what is best, either to make legislations that will help in curtailing this nuisance and bring it to a stop or reduce the conflict between herdsmen and farmers to the barest minimum. When you come to me and say herdsmen killed 900 people, it is strange. I understand there are emotions, but some of these emotions are deliberately planted to create confusion rather than solution.

How do you explain that somebody who is talking about herdsmen anywhere in Nigeria over the last two to three months, would go to London to demonstrate with  Biafran flags? How do you explain that? Is there no ulterior motive to it?  Is there no politics in it? I am a politician, but I condemn where people take advantage of situations like these. The President has come up to say we have had enough of loss of lives and have directed security operatives to go after the perpetrators and apprehend them, so that they will face the full weight of the law. I, for instance ,do not even believe that every herdsman in Nigeria is a Fulaniman. There  are herdsmen in Yorubaland, in the South East, people speak Fulfude  and I have seen  Fulani speaking Igbo language, which means they have herdsmen in their midst.

Somebody told us at a public hearing that herdsmen have lived in their neighbourhood for over forty years. If this is the case, why this sudden increase of hate campaign? Why this sudden attitude of saying leave our land? Why the sudden abandonment of the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria which gives every Nigerian a right of free movement, settlement to pursue his legitimate business anywhere in the country? Herdsman-ship is a business, so why would anyone want to contravene the constitution and say you can’t stay here and pursue your business?  Why would people want to take laws into their hands to begin to say do not come here?

When people say government cannot take our land for ranching, it  is strange, it is unnecessary because the government of Nigeria can take any part, pay compensation to the so called owner of the land. The Land Use Act is part and parcel of the Nigerian constitution. I was a minister of works at some time in my life and I know that every land owned by government is held in trust by the federal ministry of works. While I was there, if we wanted land say for housing, we will carve out that portion, survey it, pay compensation and that is still the law. People should be careful because you cannot come up and start threatening government, you cannot say government cannot take land that belongs to it, that is an affront and anybody that talks that way does not appear or, is desirous for peace. I have told those threatening government that if they think they have means of violence; government has monopoly and greater means of violence. It is for the sake of stability that government does not apply its full powers. The grazing and ranching we are talking about are an essential elements to bring peace. In  this situation, the government must find a way to establish places where the cattle can go, you cannot say cattle cannot go anywhere. In civilized countries, the animals have rights, they want to eat and drink like you do, that is a reality .Herdsman-ship  is a calling and lucrative business  like any other sector. Government must provide infrastructure for the herdsman by establishing routes  and ranches , there must be an enabling environment for it to flourish.

Would you say steps taken so far by government towards diversifying the economy are in the right direction?

I believe very strongly that the  government has seen, understood and appreciated the depth of the problems of getting agriculture up to the front burner, and it is only by doing so that we can talk of diversification and getting the agriculture sector involved as a source of job creation, revenue generation and our capacity to feed ourselves. I therefore believe that this government is taking the right steps. The budget has just been signed. Before the signing  people have had their  expectations of what should have been done by now because of campaign promises  and during inauguration of this government  and these are legitimate expectations. President Muhammadu Buhari also appreciates all of these and he came out and acknowledge the pains of the people and said, he shares in their pain.

Now, what I expect from all of us is to give the government a fair chance to see what government would now do after the signing of the budget. A few of the things that government intends to do is to develop infrastructure necessary for the development of the agricultural sector-  such as rural roads, dams , rural electrification , value addition and pricing of products depending on class of the products, these  are some of the requirements. Every farmer will know what to plant and what to expect in terms of returns for his efforts during the planting season and government is working on all of these. There would be commodity markets where you take your products to and get the value for it, they can also keep your products form you just like you keep your money in the bank and, anytime you want it, you can go and take whatever quantity that you want. We did not have such before now. This time, the  government is going to do it. There would be market accessibility; the youths would be empowered to go into farming, the market women and women farmers would be empowered. There is also a scheme in this budget where agriculture cooperatives would be set up to provide funds for youth and women farmers. In the past, they did not have access to funds and even where they had, the interest rates were very high.

Government has also put in place automated agriculture operations, where farms implements and appliances such as tractors, will be available to make operations easier. In fact, the president himself said it during the economic retreat in no mistaken words. Farmers will have access to fertilizers that would be produced locally based on specification so that when there is a problem, government will know who to hold responsible. For the first time there will be soil map in Nigeria that will show you the type of soil anywhere in The country  and what type of fertilizer to apply. All these are provided for in the budget and I believe the federal government is serious. I agree with the federal government that you cannot expect 100 per cent performance; no country has achieved that despite their sophistications and all the noise about due process. We have our issues of manpower, statistics and data banks to ensure discipline in the system, so I agree with the  government of President Buhari that we should not expect 100 per cent  performance but let the culture of assessment of performance of the budget form part of the game.

Looking at the composition of the present Senate, the policy thrust of the government and the promises of your party, the APC,  would you say there is any synergy?

I would not want to personalise  relationships, I appreciate that the Senate President  is having some brushes with the Code of Conduct Tribunal and I will not want to talk about it because it would be prejudice. But as an institution, the Senate  is going on well with the Presidency as far as I know. The budget have been passed, which is a good taste. The forth and backs are normal in parliament in all democracies including America and the United Kingdom. All they do is to lobby and try to remove all the hurdles. Till date, when the UK Prime Minister brings budget to the House, there is forth and back until they agree.

The fact that former President Goodluck Jonathan would come with a budget and go out with it does not mean it should be the same thing under President Buhari. This government promises transparency and that is what it is doing. The budget came a bit late at a time we were closing for the end of the year. We had to stay back until the budget was presented, it was not deliberate on the part of the Presidency because at that time, there was pressure on Nigeria to host the 40th anniversary of ECOWAS and that took some time off the Presidency and it affected the presentation. There was again the issue of a missing budget, which was not our fault. The President then wrote and made some explanations on some amendments and that was done through a formal letter that was read on the floor of the Senate. There was also the issue of padding  which was blamed on the technocrats in government by the various ministries , there was also the issue of the Lagos-Calabar rail line, some projects intended were not introduced and vice versa and all of these were worked out and the budget signed into law.

What is left now is implementation, while we do our oversight, it will interest you that the President has told us to do our oversight functions. He has promised that the Executive will not be on our way but that we should be transparent, and so there is hope for good governance and we are moving on fine.

Are you satisfied with monies allocated to the agricultural sector?

My satisfaction would rather be on the fact that the government would chose the right direction which it has chosen and I appreciate what it is doing not the quantum of money in the budget that would be my satisfaction. The first thing I raised about the budget was that in 2003, Nigeria under President Obasanjo signed the Moputo declaration under the African Union charter, that every member shall provide 10 per cent  of its annual budget to agriculture. No  president has observed that. Late President  Umaru  Yar’Adua went about 3.7 per cent  and that is the highest. The   current government is just about 1.2 per cent. However,  the Buhari administration is  handicap  because of  the state of the treasury. You cannot place something on nothing, so no matter how ambitious President Muhammadu Buhari is to change the country for the better, the reality on ground would dictate to a large extent, what he can do and what he cannot do.

Nigeria came from selling crude oil for $142 per barrel to about $27 and now, $46. The difference of $100 is what we have since 2011 and that is a problem, because of the level of looting and impunity with which public funds were taken in billions everyday by the last administration. This could have got to trillions if that government had continued. Now there is no money in the treasury, so I will say my satisfaction would depend on the way government treasury stands and how the President  decides to go. I try to understand where the President  wants to go; the circumstances and I appreciate his efforts.

You were a governor  for eight years in a state believed to have abundant solid minerals, the present government also focuses on solid minerals, is the blueprint in the right direction?

I have not seen the blueprint, but I do know that some fundamental changes must have taken place. Hitherto, what is in the constitution forbids anybody from going into mining because the rights rest with government. When I was governor, I tried to establish a department for solid minerals but  I was told that  the constitution forbids it. Then I started a small establishment on solid minerals, put the infrastructure, but I didn’t have enough time to take it beyond that until I left. But one thing that made it a little bit slow was that I was not to go into mining rather to set up an enabling environment for the private sector to be attracted to go into mining. I did a survey of the state, got consultants from Nigerian Mining Corporation based in Jos, the Plateau State capital,  to help us develop a road map. We provided the resources required. But it is abandoned and one interesting thing is that one of the infrastructure I developed, which is the centre for solid minerals where we had a show room, offices and laboratories, was part of the reasons I was charged for misappropriation of government funds three years after I left office.

So, one restriction is the fact that the constitution is not favourable, the federal government even issue licenses for the states. So we were not doing much. However, I am happy that the present administration is tackling the issues squarely because I remember that the mining issue came up during the economic retreat, but like I said, I have not seen the blueprint to be able to know exactly what is there for the solid minerals sector.

How would you rate this government so far?

I will not be on the same page with the public because I know the passion and commitment of the President to meet the expectations of the people and I appreciate that. We are trying to explain to the people on why and how we are where we are. It is easier for people to criticise, but the truth is that you cannot correct what took place in 16 years in one year. But relatively speaking, you can now go to bed with your eyes closed, no bomb blast in markets, mosque or churches. It was not the same in the past, whether you like it or not, the change process has commenced and there is a change of attitude in the country on the issues of corruption. Some people would ask that how many people have gone to prison on the issue of corruption? But the prison is the ultimate, therefore there is a process for you to go there. The trials are fair and they are  following due process. The truth is that a good number of those who looted the treasury have returned the loot, government just do not want to make it public so as not to scare others who are on the verge of making returns. So if we can get the money quietly, I think it is fair. I like criticisms, we welcome it, but it must be constructive.

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, said Nigeria is fantastically corrupt, do you agree with that comment?

I will only agree with him the day the British government under Prime Minister Cameron, transfers all the monies stashed in banks in the United Kingdom to Nigeria. That is when we will know that their hands are clean.  In law, we say, you do not go to equity with dirty hands. With all respect to the British Prime Minister, a lot of these stolen monies are in British banks, let them bring them back to us. It is only then they would have washed their hands clean.

Source: Leadership Newspaper

Herdsmen/ Farmers Clash: FG Budgets N940m For Grazing Reserves

The federal government has budgeted N940 million in the 2016 budget  for the development of strategic grazing reserves to stem the tide of herdsmen and farmers clashes in the country.

This is contained in the breakdown of the budget by minister of Budget and Planning, Udo Udoma on Thursday at the Presidential Villa.

It will be recalled that herdsmen and farmers clash has been on the front burner in the last few weeks and attempts by the National Assembly to debate on the grazing bill have been resisted by some cross section of Nigerians.

LEADERSHIP Weekend recalls that the federal government on Tuesday reaffirmed its plans to establish cattle ranches as lasting solution to the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria.

However, the herdsmen, under the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, rejected the proposal of the government to establish cattle ranches but insisted on having grazing reserves and routes.

Udoma in his briefing listed several projects in pursuit of the nation’s goal of self – sufficiency / food security which include N940m for development of strategic grazing reserves.

Others include; N1.3b for construction of rehabilitation of rural roads, N1.3b for support to 187,500 farmers, N939.7m for extension services,N940m for price stabilisation / buy back/ price guarantee scheme.

Udoma also listed several initiatives towards improving standards and access to education include ; N342.1m secondary schools quality assurance program across 6 geo- political zones, N817.1 M for statutory visitation and monitoring of 90 Federal tertiary institutions and N2.1b for servicing ongoing and new local and foreign scholarship.

Health projects include ; N12.6b for vaccines, devices and operations programmes for Polio, measles,yellow fever and N1.3 b counterpart contributions for procurement and distribution of anti retro viral drugs and contraceptive commodities.

Udo-Udoma stated that the budget would be implemented under six major strategic invention areas in the SIP to revive the economy.

.“It is a strategic target for the 2016 fiscal year.The plan will place the economy on the upward trajectory as it is repositioned for change, inclusive growth and sustainable development.’’

Udoma listed the six areas as policy environment, national security and governance; economic diversification; priority critical infrastructure; oil and gas reforms; ease of doing business and social investment.

Credit: Leadership Newspaper

Our three-pronged approach to reviving agriculture in Nigeria- Audu Ogbeh

The participants, here present, comprising domestic and international investors, sector experts, investment brokers, technical partners, high-level State and Federal Government officials entrepreneurs, industrialists, deserve a gallant of honours from us all for their unflinching faith in the capacity of our beloved nation to rise from her ashes and launch herself into her glorious dawn. They are unlike some entities that are divesting from our economy because of the little difficulty we are presently experiencing because of the volatility of oil prices in the global market, which is adversely affecting our economy.

They are portfolio managers, and fair weather friends who are only interested in the short- term benefits they can derive from our economy, rather than being genuine entrepreneurs and risk takers who want to partner with us to grow our economy and their businesses on a sustainable basis. It is regrettable that these divesting entities are unmindful of the fact that even in the face of the present difficulties confronting us as a nation, Nigeria is still a land of abundant opportunities with bright prospects for long-term prosperity and profitable gain for businesses to thrive, given the favourable governance climate in the country under the disciplined and exemplary leadership of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, CGFR.

It is a thing of profound delight that this Investment Forum is being organized around three basic building blocks of ‘Environment, Transport and Agriculture’ bearing in mind that they are complementary and mutually reinforcing. It is informed by the realization that all the developed and emerging economies of the world– constituting the global economic powerhouses- have, in the course of time and in various degrees, collectively and individually, derived their strength and potency by harnessing the catalytic factors in these three enabling variables to attain the enviable heights they have found themselves today. It is, therefore, fitting that, in the same vein, Ogun State has expressed its readiness to join this league of enterprising and goal-driven nation-states by organizing this forum to focus on what is essential and compelling for unlocking the potentials of the State for its systematic, programmed and accelerated development.

As Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, my turf is well defined, and I intend to restrict myself to this jurisdiction in this address. Let me flag it off by stating that

Agriculture is the soul of nations, hence any nation without a vibrant agricultural sector is already deprived of its essence and its soul. In this regard, a nation that cannot feed her citizens cannot be regarded as a land of dignity. The agriculture sector is the first industry given to man by God, and it is a source of blessing to humanity from the divine as long as it is profitably harnessed for the collective good of all. Accordingly, in many countries across the world, agriculture has always served as a source of livelihood and an engine of growth for wealth creation, employment generation within the overarching objective of improving the quality of the life of the citizenry towards enhancing human dignity and human security.

It is in recognition of the strategic importance of agriculture to national transformation that the Administration of His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari is giving the revival of the agricultural sector the priority it deserves in the on-going national development efforts. So what are our priorities over the next four years? The first priority is the achievement of self-sufficiency, and excess, in our local staples namely: cassava, rice, maize, sorghum, millet, wheat, fruits and vegetables, poultry, honey, sugar, beans, soya, oil-palm, fish, milk, vegetable oils. Through the cooperative efforts of all key stakeholders in the agricultural sector that we expect to key into this vision and help us to actualize it, we are confident that over the next four years, the huge import bill that we are incurring presently should gradually be a thing of the past while we conserve foreign exchange for deployment to areas of strategic importance, and improve on our employment generation capacity, especially for youths, which invariably will help to guarantee shared prosperity and enhance national security.

The second issue of concern is enhanced agro production for export in the areas of our comparative advantage namely: Cocoa, Coffee, Kolanut, Cotton, Cashew, Tea, Sesame, Soya, Fruits & Vegetables, Banana, Onions, Pineapples, Ogbono, Gum Arabic. We can all recall that at independence, Nigeria was a world-leading exporter of many cash crops including groundnut, palm oil, cocoa and cotton till the subsequent period of petroleum resource dominance that overshadowed the agricultural sector for many decades. The South Western geo-political zone of the country, of which Ogun State is a key member, financed most of its development programmes with earnings from the agricultural sector which made it a pace setter in many areas of human endeavour in the country. We urgently need to recover lost grounds in these areas given the realization that we controlled a sizeable share of the global market for these crops in the past.

We believe that the various measures that we are putting in place to re-energize the production of these crops in larger volumes, both as raw materials for home industries, and as exports, will help to restore our market share within the next two to four years. Given its proximity to Lagos State and the investment-friendly disposition of the State which has attracted more corporate organizations and industries into it lately, it is evident that Ogun State will be a key beneficiary of this policy drive of enhanced agro production and export in our areas of comparative advantage.

The third priority is addressing meaningfully and decisively the topical issues of certification, quality control and packaging, which have either led to under-pricing, or rejection of some of our agricultural exports in time past. Part of it entails replacing the use of polypropylene bags with jute bags for packaging. This, hopefully, should lead to the creation of thousands of on-farm jobs through the production of Kernaf as raw materials for making jute bags,. This is a huge window of opportunity for inflow of investment. We are mindful that the good practice, world-wide, now is not to export produce except in carbon-free packaging items, hence we are determined to ensure that our agricultural products increasingly pass the certification, quality control and packaging tests to enable our farmers have adequate returns on their harvests and assure us of regular inflow of additional income streams in foreign exchange to facilitate our economic recovery. We, therefore, welcome interested investors to key into this area of immense opportunities.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, to enable us achieve these three-prong actions of self sufficiency in our local staples, enhanced agricultural production for exports and certification, quality control and packaging, we shall build zonal capabilities and comparative advantages in each geo-political zone of the country to ensure that each part of the country engages in the cultivation of crops and tendering of animals that are best suited to its peculiar circumstances. This will enable us to avoid unnecessary dissipation of energy on unprofitable ventures while ensuring that resources are efficiently and effectively applied for the maximization of the agricultural potentials of each state/zone. For example, cassava and rice (ofada) production as well as kolanut, poultry and aquaculture are distinct areas of comparative advantage in Ogun State which should be attractive to investors in the agricultural sector. In addition, investment on existing processing facilities such as cottage industries for high quality cassava flour (HQCF), industrial starch, sweeteners and Ethanol will require deepening and further consolidation.

Achieving higher yields through the utilization of improved seeds and seedlings is critical towards the revival of agriculture. In this connection, we shall source for improved seeds and seedlings by working cooperatively with all key stakeholders, including our research institutes and private sector seed production entities, bearing in mind that the law of nature recognises the reproduction of one’s kind-because a poor seed cannot yield a good increase. To this end, we are committed to the implementation of a sustained programme of strengthening our research institutes and providing the necessary incentives to seed companies to enable them play a vital role in producing high quality seeds and seedlings for enhanced agricultural production and agro export.

We are not satisfied with the extension system in the country, hence our determination to overhaul it by revitalizing the extension system by having an extension outfit in every local government in the country, as one stop shop, in order to reverse the abysmal low ratio of extension worker to farmer presently put at 1:10,000. We are committed to improving fertiliser types and ensuring that the delivery reaches farmers on schedule. Investors are, therefore, welcome in the area of fertiliser production and haulage to enable our farmers begin to use a new breed of fertilisers that is crop and soil specific. This is to help them move away from an era of using all-purpose fertilisers without reference to their suitability for crops or different soil and climatic conditions. We shall improve access to credit farmers by working towards removing all the existing barriers militating against improved credit penetration to farmers and other key stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

We are conscious of the fact that the future of agriculture lies with our youths. We shall empower our youths and place them at the epicentre of our revival and reinvigoration efforts. Also instructive is the critical role of women in agriculture, hence the need to put in place measures and incentives to encourage their continued participation in all activities across the agricultural value chain. I urge all interested investors in the agricultural development value chain to factor the concerns of youth and women in all their undertakings.

The Federal Government is already partnering with State Governments, including Ogun State, in this regard, through the agricultural equipment hiring enterprises (AEHE), scheme to provide value added services, such as leasing/hiring of various kind of agricultural equipment for land preparation, harvesting and post harvesting, repair and maintenance of such equipment, and as an incubator for training of personnel within farming communities. The participation of the private sector is, therefore, welcome in this important area, with immense potentials for growing the agricultural sector.

The need to re-activate, expand and utilize the existing dams and irrigation facilities, in the country, as well as exploit our underground water reserves, to meet the water needs for agricultural production and agribusiness cannot be more compelling, especially in view of the need to make agriculture an all year round activity rather than being rain fed/dependent. I urge investors here present to consider partnering with the State Government in water management and provision of irrigation facilities and services to promote dry season farming. Fortunately, Ogun State is abundantly blessed with its own fair share of water resources that can be harnessed for irrigation for enhanced agricultural production and agri-business. Another window of opportunity is increasing tractor density in the country for enhanced agricultural production through land acquisition, preparation and ownership.

The Federal Government is already partnering with State Governments, including Ogun State, in this regard, through the agricultural equipment hiring enterprises (AEHE), scheme to provide value added services, such as leasing/hiring of various kind of agricultural equipment for land preparation, harvesting and post harvesting, repair and maintenance of such equipment, and as an incubator for training of personnel within farming communities. The participation of the private sector is, therefore, welcome in this important area, with immense potentials for growing the agricultural sector.

On a closing note, let me assure all interested investors in the agricultural sector that agriculture is still a profitable venture. We recognise that without land, agriculture cannot be undertaken as a profitable business. It underlines our commitment to partnering with the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory Administration, for the provision of accessible land with secure tenure to investors in the agricultural sector. Given the immense pressure on land as a valuable asset, which is in short supply, we shall also work collaboratively with State Governments to ensure that the agricultural sector is not short-changed in getting adequate land for its needs in view of competing needs from other sectors. The increased investment by the Federal Government on enabling critical infrastructure such as power, rail, roads, education and health in the 2016 budget will also impact the agricultural sector positively over the short, medium and long terms.

We shall endeavour to take advantage of the institutional capacities and networks of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant Federal and State Agencies to advance the cause of investment production in the agricultural sector. I, therefore, wish to assure you all that our determination to revive the agricultural sector is real and not a mere wishful thinking, hence our determination to provide all the necessary incentives and support to interested investors to enable them flourish in this sector for the enthronement of a new dispensation of an agricultural-led growth for sustainable national development.

-Keynote Address By Chief Audu I. Ogbeh, OFR, Minister Of Agriculture & Rural Development At The Third Ogun State Investors Forum, Held In Abeokuta, Ogun State, On Wednesday, 10th May, 2016.

Credit: TheNewsNG

Nigerian Catfish Farmer Believes in “African Dream”

More and more young Africans are discovering that they can make farming a profitable career.

Enayon Anthony pours feed into his catfish pond.

Enayon Anthony is from a rural part of Delta state in Nigeria. Anthony loved the catfish his mother raised and cooked for family meals throughout his youth. He even enjoyed feeding the fish. Eventually, he determined that fish could provide him with a livelihood.

“You can be a farmer and still make a good and honest living from it,” says the successful fish farmer and YALI Network member.

Anthony, 28, raises his stock with care. He buys fingerlings from a friend at a good price, feeds them nutritious commercial feed and regularly checks the quality of the water in his pond, which is connected to a river. If he determines that the pond’s water quality has declined or that the fish are not eating, he drains the pond and refills it with fresh water, which he treats to control bacteria.

“I have to check my fish every day,” he says.

It takes six months for fingerlings to grow to the size where they can be harvested and sold. “We sell the fish we harvest right on the farm,” Anthony says, adding that sales are good. His primary customers are local women fishmongers, who sell the catfish in local markets.

“It is profitable selling catfish compared to other farm products,” he says, adding that farm-grown fish are less expensive than river fish. His goal is to expand his catfish farm to become one of the largest in West Africa.

“A lot of youth are coming into catfish farming,” he says. “The future of catfish is very bright.”

He wants other YALI Network members to understand that agriculture “is one sector that can move Africa to the next level” by providing both income and employment opportunities.

Anthony prepares to harvest mature fish.

On a larger scale, Anthony says,“the agriculture sector is big. … Let’s feed Africa and beyond.”

Anthony praises the YALI Network for “really opening my eyes and mind to dreaming” and “meeting people of like minds who have the same dream about Africa.”

“I call it the #AfricanDream,” he says.

“I am personally committed to an Africa that works fairly for Africans of all ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he continues.

“Thanks for YALI

Source: YALI