Osun ADP operates without office

*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.