Kogi will address crime and unemployment with Agriculture – Oloruntoba

Kogi State is a melting pot among the states of the country. It is reputed to have more boundaries with states in the country than any other, thereby making it more vulnerable to both intra and interstate crimes and criminality. Armed robberies and high profile kidnappings have become the order of the day in the state. Although the state has solid mineral deposits and good arable lands, good water resources from both Rivers Niger and Benue that their utilisation could have immensely transformed the lives of the people, ironically the state ranks among those with highest unemployment rate, making the state an abode for all sorts of crimes and criminality. But the state commissioner for Agriculture, Kehinde Oloruntoba told our correspondent IDRIS AHMED that the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello has decided to use multi dimensional approach to secure the state.

What is the administration’ s programmes for the state as it affects agriculture, welfare and the security of lives and property.
We have many plans and programmes earmarked for the people of the state in 2017 planting season. His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello have declared a state of emergency on agriculture.

He has equally made it clear to everyone that he wants to use Agriculture to diversify the economy of the state to create jobs, create wealth, reduce crimes and criminality and most importantly create food security for the state.

The governor earlier in the year organised an engagement session with all the stakeholders, farmers, student groups; youths, civil servants, where they heard from the horses mouth and not that somebody told them.

They told him their challenges while he informed them of his plans and programmes which have been developed and tailored towards the feedback.

The important feedback that came out of the session was that, we have not been doing much of the farming in this part of the country and the reason being that it cost a fortune to clear the land and the people do not have such money and it has become expedient on the government to come in to clear the land for those who are interested in farming.

Based on this exigency, his Excellency in that engagement has given directives to the Ministry of Agriculture to mobilise to the 21 LGAs to prepare lands for those who are ready to farm.

We have to do that to make farming easier for our farmers as the greater cost for farming is spent on clearing the land.

Another issue that was glaring from that engagement was that after clearing the land farmers need money to procure inputs, and he has already approved agriculture loans for farmers to buy seedlings, as improved seedlings have become the norms for farmers.

We cannot leave our farmers to be planting the old seedlings which yields are very poor. For instance, the traditional seedlings per hectare compared to the improved seedlings, the difference is huge.

Farmers use to get two to three tons per hectare, but with the high breed seedlings on the same hectare, it could be up to 10 to 11 tons.

So we are going to buy improved seedlings for farmers, we are going to buy herbicides, so that we may not have outbreak of epidemic through pest diseases. These are some of the things we have mapped out.

But most importantly there is a programme of the Federal Government called Anchor Borrowers Scheme, which is funded by the CBN, we are going to engage our youths as many as possible, using the window, the CBN is going to provide all the inputs.

After the state has anchored the programme, then we have to up stake the farmers, as we buy off the produce, net off, pay the CBN their money and they now have the balance to themselves and it is revolving.

The governor said that before the end of 2017, the state would have anchored over 100,000 farmers.

These are programmes that have been outlined in 2017 planting season, we are going on radio and television stations for jingles, commercials and public enlightenment to let the people be abreast of the programme which are designed for their benefits.

As for most of our youths who are jobless or looking for white collar jobs, the best bet is to go into agriculture, now that the yields are better, the price is better and it is no longer energy sapping, but mechanised .

We no longer do traditional method of farming, where a lot of energy is required.

we urged graduates and whatever you call yourself, we want to do it in such a way that the civil servants will start tendering their resignation letters to go into the farms because by doing that you have your destiny in your hands; the more you do the better, you have more money and you are the boss of yourself.

It gives you more satisfaction than going to the office, where you have no value to add, just sit down from morning to evening. We are not only concentrating on agronomy but we have the same programmes for aquaculture, because we are blessed with adequate rainfall and water everywhere, we are also going into poultry, piggery and animal husbandry.

As an intending farmer how do one tap into the Anchor Borrowers scheme?
What we have decided to do is very simple, not everyone has land, but we are from one local government area or the other.

For instance, we will go to the 21 LGAs to clear the lands, we will liaise with the traditional rulers and the local government administrators and farmers unions AFAN, IFAM etc. and we will ensure that only indigenes benefits from the cleared lands, no matter whether you are the owner , the moment you are from the LGA we will earmark a hectare per farmer, no matter whether you are the original owner as long as you are from the LGA you benefit.

It is a commonwealth of the people. The land belongs to the government, however we shall carry along the traditional rulers and where there is tree crops we will pay compensation so that we don’t deny some people of their means of livelihoods and where we don’t have this challenge, of course we shall first give considerations to the indigenes.

As for participating in the Anchor Borrowers Scheme, we have opened a register at the Ministry of Agriculture, we will take your data send it to the CBN, they have a way of verifying and once they send your name back to us as being successful, we will take you to where the land that was cleared and allocate a hectare to you, as the CBN will start anchoring you by giving you the inputs you need.

In the past, fertilizer distribution has been highly politicised, how do you intend to do yours differently?
We will deal with farmers directly, we don’t want middlemen. We are taking the issue of fertilizers very seriously.

It may not be at every LGA , but we have warehouses across the three senatorial zones of the state.

We will be putting fertilizers in those warehouses where farmers can go directly, pay the money and pick the products.

So far the state has procured 15,ooo metric tons of fertilizers which have been subsidised as a bag cost #5,500 as against the former eight thousand naira and above.

It has been subsidised and people that the CBN would be anchoring will be given the inputs, but it will form part of our cost, while selling the produce, you net off.

It should be available in all the warehouses across the state where farmers can go and be given an Account Number, make the payment, bring the teller, and off to the zone and pick them up.

We are going to be working with the traditional rulers, Farmers Associations, such as AFAN, IFAM so that they can identify who those farmers are and we frown at bulk purchases.

You can’t come and say you want to buy 100 bags of fertilizers; we won’t sell it to you. We want the actual farmers in whose interest the programme is designed to benefits.

What of the programme of planting creeping crops on the cleared vegetations along the highways across the state?

The primary reason for clearing the vegetation along the major highways across the state is for security.

What we are doing is to achieve a dual purpose, while criminals’ hideouts are exposed, communities along the highways utilise the roadside as farms. We don’t engage those cleared portions of the highways for only environmentally friendly crops.

We are mindful of the plants that create shields for the criminals to use it as hideout. For instance, if you plant a crop such as cassava or maize it will become a safe haven for criminals to use it as their hideout to launch attack on the motorists and travelers.

What we have decided to do is to plant creeping crops so that we can see from a far distance any object or human being who may pose a security threat.

The crops are going to be for the communities living along those roads, we are going to flag off the project in conjunction with the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

We have sensitized the traditional rulers, youths and all the stakeholders and the moment those crops are planted, the communities takes over the ownership.

We are also mindful of the crops that will not be attractive to cattle; in this regard we will be working with agronomists on the suitable crops to be planted that will not attract cattle, to avoid being destroyed.

The farmers are saying that they are tired of government programmes on agriculture, as the previous attempts have left them worse off, what assurance do you have to tell them that this programme will not go like those earlier ones?
It does not matter what it is called, what matters is its benefit to the people.

This Anchor Borrowers Scheme is a very wonderful initiative, which takes care of the cost of clearing and cultivating the land.

The CBN provide the inputs required and when you sell the produce, you net off, they take their money and you take the balance and you can immediately reapply for another planting season.

Whatever the name is called is geared towards creating jobs and engaging the youths and to reduce crimes and criminality.

From the records available, our farmers are not doing badly, under those programmes and like this Anchor Borrowers programme, we want to make the best of it, because when you go everywhere now you see young people saluting politicians for assistance.

They mill around political office holders for handouts, we will take them to the farms, give them one hectare of land and anchor them to stay on the farms.

They should be happier, better for it than this embarrassment of begging. We assure the people that Buhari’s administration that designed the programme has the political will to sustain it, and so far it has been a success.

Infact, Nigerians are doing better now in Agriculture as some of those things we use to import are being produced locally. We are gradually attaining food security and with time, Nigeria will start food exportation.

What is your advice to the people of Kogi State?
It has started raining, they should not call it weather for the two, they should call weather for farming. When it rains, you hear weather for the two, but it is now weather for serious work on the farms.

Let us go back to the farm, Nigerian Economy was sustained in the past by farming activities. At that time you hear of ground nut pyramid in the North, cocoa in the West and palm oil in East.

The regions were buoyant and strong, all these have gone down with the discovery of crude oil. We have become so lazy, because all we do is to sit down and expect free money from the central government.

We want to change that and thank God for the recession, it is reawakening our consciousness. Let us go back to Agriculture.

We need not be hungry as everything we need to farm God has given to us, name it, arable lands, water everywhere, we don’t have cause to be hungry.

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We have become so lazy, because all we do is to sit down and expect free money from the central government. We want to change that and thank God for the recession, it is reawakening our consciousness. Let us go back to Agriculture. We need not be hungry as everything we need to farm God has given to us, name it, arable lands, water everywhere, we don’t have cause to be hungry.