*ARCN boss says extension cannot strive on donors
The State of Osun Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) has been operating without an office since last year after the torching and vandalization of the building by hoodlums that hid under the EndSAR youth protest to perpetuate the act in Iwo town thereby deepening the challenges of the department to food security.
Food
Farm News checks from
people who want anonymity revealed that no effort has been made on the part of
the state government to rehabilitate the building for extension workers’ office
operation despite submission of report on the situation of the place coupled
the visit of the Deputy Governor of the state to office.
All the office equipment like computers
and other valuable properties were said to have been carted away by the unknown
hoodlums who were said to be part of endSar protesters in Osun state last year.
Many farmers have complained to our
correspondent about the non impact of the state’s ADP on farming activities in
the region which may have been the reason for the low performance of the state
at the just concluded 33rd South West Research Extension Farmers’ Input Linkage
System (REFILs) as some of the officials of the department confirmed being self
sponsored to the event without any official support to ensure any paper
presentation.
Although, the position of farmers in the
state was countered by some of the ADP workers who said the department might
not have an office operation, but argued it has not in any way disturb their
activities towards assisting farmers in all the local governments of the state
in the use of best agronomics practice as they confirmed limited numbers of
workers and fund scarcity to work effectively.
One of the ADP workers said that ‘‘what
the farmers are saying is not correct because the torching of our office does
not disrupt our activities at the local government areas to farmers, even
though we have challenge of fund, but we are ensuring it does not affect our
activities and that is why we have sponsored our self here to ensure that we
are able to hear all discussions as none of us was sponsored by the
government’’
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary (ES) of
Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) Prof. Garba Sharubutu has
pointed that no nation can ever survive on foreign donors and grants for its
extension services, saying it is paramount that the three tiers of Government
in Nigeria must take the funding of extension workers very serious in order to
be able to ensure commercial production on the farming system through
technologies transfer to farmers.
Sharubutu said that the continuous
reliance on the foreign agricultural projects that usually give support to
extension works in the country cannot be sustainable without the self political
determination of the three tiers of Government readiness to take the role of
ADPs very serious with adequate funding towards achieving best global practice
in agriculture using improved inputs and mechanization technologies.
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