*Technical
department memo step down
· *AFAN
vows to monitor implementation
· *Stakeholders
demand Fadama AF, IFAD continuity
The National
Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD), the apex policy maker in
the sector has approved a proposal seeking implementation and provision of
facilities for herdsmen towards encouraging ranching to forestall incessant
clashes occasioned by cattle being moved about in the country, even as national
productivity of cassava was also approved along with a memo on national policy
on extension for its strategic role in technologies transfer to farmers
nationwide.
Also all the
pleas by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD)
Permanent Secretary (PS) Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar to get approval for a memo on
the technical leadership heading a department met with negative reactions by most
members of the council who argued it would distort professionalism within the
service as the present case in the department of Animal Husbandry department in
the ministry.
These
approvals depict the core policies direction in the agricultural sector at the
federal and states for the year 2019 food security programmes. Although many
stakeholders have underscored the performance of the sector in the last two
years saying the activities of the World Bank Fadama 111 Additional Financing
and International Fund Agricultural Development programmes across the states of
the Federation had been of tremendous help as the youth beneficiaries were
demanding for the continuity of the two projects towards ensuring food security
and job creation.
Also, the council during the matters arising
session from the last Port Harcourt meeting advocated special intervention fund
for research innovations saying the agricultural development fund should be
revisited.
These memos
approval with other matters arising were exhaustively discussed at the 43rd
NCARD meeting held in Umuahia under the chairmanship of the FMARD
permanent secretary, Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar who represented the Minister,
Chief Audu Ogbeh who could not make it probably because of another meeting with
President Mohammadu Buhari.
However, the
memo on RUGA settlement model was approved based on its importance to
addressing the herdsmen and farmers clashes across the nation as movement of
cattle in search of pastures and water would be curbed to promote ranching for
better economic value derivation in meat and milk for further processing and
marketing.
Speaking on
the memo, the chairman of the council said that pastoralists have been
neglected without government support in their need for pastures and water cum
other social basic amenities and that the Presidential initiative on livestock
is aimed at checkmating this incessant clashes as each state is expected to key
into the programme so as to be able to generate enough pasture for cattles.
The chairman
said ‘’ RUGA is aimed at the development of ranches as each state will
contribute land to breed pasture for animals. It is a security issue which
requires national approach as no security can be bigger than food security. We
are doing this to ensure non movement of animals but rather ranches. RUGA will
provide houses, waters, security of cattle, health centres, nomadic schools,
markets, abattoirs and processing centres for mils. They are all Nigerians will
need to join hands to help these people. To deal with security we need to help
them as the micro-chips of animals will put an end to farmers and herdsmen
clashes. This memo is one of the resolves from many committees to resolve this
problem, and this is one of the solutions.’’
However,
this approval did not go without criticism on why did government wanted to
invest in business that was privately owned, while another person under anonymity
asked about the outcome of the grass the ministry spent billions of naira to
procure abroad for multiplication in Nigeria.
Another
approved memo was the cassava commercialization through processing and
marketing presented by Abia State government which received applause while the
council suggested that its implementation must be across the nation since
cassava crop is grown nearly in all states of the federation. However the memo
requested for CBN credit facility at all the value chains from production to
processing and marketing. However, many delegates wanted to know the
whereabouts of N10b cassava bread fund meant to proactively galvanise the
productivity of the crop.
Also, extensively
discussed before approval was the memo presented by the Ministry on efficient
extension services towards commercial food production with best agricultural
practices with improved technologies transfer towards achieving positioning of agriculture as business to generate wealth and job creation for the
growth of our internal revenue. Stakeholders believed this policy paper in view
of deplorable condition of many ADPs in the country might give a wakeup call to
reposition them for farmers’ benefit.
However, the
council had a rowdy session on the memo on technical profession even as all the
pleas by the chairman on behalf of the paper on the ground of leadership
specialization over the years after point of employment and team work among
departments and units towards national development met with stiff opposition by
many members of the council who argued that such advocacy would distort the
professional pursuit of the service towards better delivery and best global
practices.
Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar in his advocacy for
the memo stressed that the Service must be rescued from un-progressive decision
where an administrative leader, a directorate cadre cannot head any department
based on professionalism rather than leadership specialization, noting that this
had been the reason why things have refused to move forwards in Nigeria coupled
with corruption and policies summersault, despite billion of naira expended into
the sector.
He argued further that a level 14 officer at
the Federal Civil service must have attended several leadership training
programmes capable of ensuring his or her optimal performance as a director in
any department of the federal ministry having passed the general promotion
examination for this cadre as service must encourage criss-cross ideas for
better developmental result through leadership specialization.
He pointed out
that the memo is an information model for states to know in case they wanted to
key into it without being forced, adding that the ministry would do anything to
uphold the Civil Service rule according to its act by the National Assembly.
But speaker
after speaker did not agree with the position saying the order will
demoralise professionalism and even result to high level of poor performance
and corruption beyond the level we are now as regard food security. They argued
that the two technical groups had earlier stepped down the memo wondering how
the paper reappeared before the council for approval.
After
argument and counter arguments, the council agreed to step it down as an
information paper when majority members voted against it.
However,
majority of stakeholders who spoke with food
farm news under anonymity described the performance of the sector as poor
in the last two years saying non release of fund at the appropriate time is
responsible just as All Farmers Association of Nigeria ( AFAN) promised to set
up monitoring committee for the 2019 council approvals up to research
institutes.
The Deputy
Vice President, AFAN, Chief Daniel Okafor who during his goodwill message on
behalf of the President, said farmers would no longer sit behind, but rather
would ensure the effective monitoring the policy implementation of all these
agricultural policies through a committee the association would set up.
In his
message, the chairman federation of Youth fadama farmers, Mr. Williams
commended the Fadama 111 AF project and demanded for its continuation for its
value addition to food productivity and job creation for many youths across the
states in the country saying the increase in rice productivity was the function
of effective implementation of the programme
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