Agriculture Suffered 40 Years Of Neglect – Ogbeh

Chief Audu  Ogbeh,

The minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu  Ogbeh, has tasked heads of agencies under the supervision  of the ministry to settle down quickly to work because activities in the agricultural sector would commence with full speed immediately the ministry’s budget is released.

This is even as he lamented that issues related to agriculture had been left 40 years behind. The minister stated this on Thursday, 28th April, 2016, at an interactive meeting he held with Heads of all agencies under the ministry in Abuja.

He reaffirmed the resolve of the ministry to make research institutes and colleges of agriculture centres of excellence by enhancing their capacities to enable them deliver. He said , “Research is not good if nobody knows about it”, adding the need to market research findings both in Nigeria and Africa.

According to him “agriculture related issues have been left behind 40 years ago and this has weakened the capacity of the Nigerian market to compete in the world market”.

He promised to use the research institutes to move life to the rural areas. Ogbeh reminded them that the destiny of Nigeria is in their hands , saying, “ Nigeria relies on you to lift  the country out of our disastrous situation”. He however promised to address all the challenges being faced by the institutes and colleges but advised them to keep politics away from research.

In his remarks at the meeting, the minister of state for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, urged the research institutes to model their curriculum towards solving problems.

Senator Lokpobiri asked the research institutes not to see themselves as members of the academic society but as scientists. He said, ‘As heads of agencies, you are expected to think and find solutions to problems”.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Prof Yusuf Abubakar said with the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari and the two Ministers, the agricultural sector would move forward.