Action Aid, others raise concern over N1.2b Agric fund for furniture

 

The Action Aid Nigeria with few other civil Societies have expressed parallel view over the Federal Government ( FG) N1.2 billion budget expenditure on office furniture for Nigeria Agricultural Development Fund Agency ( NADFA) in view of many more pressing issues concerning food security in the country. This was among the issues said at the last Friday press conference held for the purpose of 2024 budget on Agriculture, organized by Action Aid, Nigeria.

Letting the cat out of its cage, the Action Aid Food and Agriculture Program Manager, Mr. Azubuike Nwokoye expressed resentment on why FG should decide to spend such a humongous amount for office furniture in the face of other things that needed to be done for an enhanced food sustainability system in Nigeria.

Nwokoye expressed the need for spending proficiently on agricultural issues, argued that priority must be given to initiatives that would attend to the urgent needs of farmers towards enhanced overall food security than office equipment that can be internally sourced.

He stressed further that the unison position of the civil society organisations in the country as regards the extablishment of NADFA was that staff of the new extablishment should be drafted from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ( FMAFS) so as to reduce over head cost of staff recruitments and office procurement.

According to Nwokoye “ With our food security situation, we don't think N1.2 billion should be allocated for office purchase at this point in Nigeria, where many Nigerians are living in poverty. Moreover, the Civil Society Organizations had contributed to push for the extablishment of National Agricultural Development Fund Agency with high sense of zero spending on office or staff salaries. Seeing such spending now is a high sense of insensitivity to the citizens and it is unacceptable"

An anonymous Agricultural Expert pointed that the current allocation seems disproportionately focused on administration, pointed it is crucial to allocate resources judiciously in order to empower farmers, invest in sustainable agricultural practices, and fortify the agricultural supply chains. 

The expert further stressed that there is a need for collaborative effort between government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and relevant bodies to conduct a comprehensive review of the NADF allocations, saying that “ The goal is to ensure that resources are strategically deployed to areas where they can have the most significant impact in promoting food security, supporting farmers, and addressing challenges within the agricultural sector”

Other stakeholders from different advocacy groups also raised concerns as  Nigeria grapples with issues of hunger and inadequate access to affordable quality food, argued that allocating such a significant sum for office acquisition is contradictory to the urgency needed to be given food security challenges in the country. 

They pointed at agricultural multifaceted challenges as including inadequate infrastructure, limited access to modern farming technologies, and the impact of climate change saying there is need for redirecting funds towards addressing challenges that would have a more substantial impact on increasing food productivity.

The Action Aid Nigeria Small Scale Women Organization in Nigeria (Swofon) and other stakeholders advocated for a thorough review of the fund, thereby proposing redirecting the resources to areas that can significantly contribute to enhancing agricultural productivity, ensuring food security, and improving the livelihoods of farmers.