Food security in trouble as ADPs employ non agriculturist as extension officers

There is great indication that Nigeria might be in deep shit if a proactive step is not taken against the employment process into the department of agricultural extension across the states in the country as findings revealed that majority of the newly employed extension officers have been confirmed not to have certificate on Agriculture. A typical case study was in Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

 Our finding at the ADP’s office at FCT revealed that many of the newly employed extension officers are not graduates of Agriculture as our source working in the system confirmed that they were being compelled to train people who are not agriculturists to carry out extension services to farmers, thereby lamented that the nation’s capital is doomed as regard food security in years to come.

The source who pleaded anonymity said that the last two or one year employment process in the FCT ADP has been ridden with nepotism and family kind of relationship to an employment that had a very strategic role to play in food security matters of the nation as the population is growing unabatedly, adding that a check should be carried on the process to prove news wrong.

Food Farm News finding revealed that many states are also experiencing similar situation, but the fear of being cut when complained had made many to keep mute, while extension services department continue to suffer limited human power with less budget to meet all the necessary activities that will ensure the transfer of new improved technologies to rural farmers.

One of our sources complained bitterly that most of the activities that the ADPs used to carry out to ensure awareness creation to farmers in terms of new technologies and inputs application during planting season had been since moribund with many old staff retired without replacement, or rather being replaced with people without much agricultural knowledge, thereby compounding the problem of the sub sector in food production value chains through employment of incompetent hands for replacement and training.