Poultry farmers’ boss confirms FG’s compensation to farrmes

National President of the Association Dr. Onallo Akpa

The president of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN)Dr. Onallo Akpa has confirmed that the Federal Government of Nigeria had made the payment of N2.4billion as compensation to poultry farmers who suffered losses from Avian Influenza across the country over the last four years. He made this statement during the just concluded maiden summit of the Agriculture Correspondents Association of Nigeria [ACAN] in Abuja.

Akpa who used the occasion to debunk the rumor making the rounds that the money for the compensation had been embezzled by government officials said that the government had approved the payment of N1.8 billion to the affected poultry farmers’ across the 36 states of the Federation and Abuja.

He explained that the first tranche of the compensation of N500 million was paid by the immediate past administration to the affected poultry farmers through the Federal Ministry of Finance directly to the farmers using the computed list.

Said he, “when there was an outbreak of Avian Influenza on our farms, the government intervened and de-populated the birds and then paid compensation.Before this present administration assumed office, a compensation of over N500 million was paid to some of the affected poultry farmers during the outbreak. Eighty per cent of farmers were not compensated. In the last three years, we have taken our cry to the government and early this year, over N1.8 billion was paid to the affected farmers.

“All the names of the poultry farmers affected were computed and the money was credited to their bank accounts.It was paid on the approval of Mr. President through the Federal Ministry of Finance,” he affirmed.