Ahead of Thursday’s summit on agriculture and food security, DANIEL ESSIET writes on the contributions of participants in diversifying the economy.
All is set for The Nation Agriculture, Food Summit and Awards on Thursday.
The three-in-one event, being organised by Vintage Press, publishers of The Nation, is designed to put agriculture on the front burner.
It will be opened by President Muhammadu Buhari. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the special guest of honour.
Expected at the summit and awards are dignitaries from the public and private sectors, including heads of federal agencies and representatives of state governments.
The main lecture at the event, billed for 3pm at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel will be delivered by a one-time Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) and former consultant to the World Bank Prof Adebiyi Daramola.
Some governors, heads of government agencies and private sector players have been identified for recognition for their agricultural development in the past three years.
They are governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Sani Bello (Niger), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Willie Obiano (Anambra), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto).
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director Nsima Ekere, Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh and Bank of Agriculture Managing Director Kabiru Adamu have been identified for honour.
Dangote Grouo President Aliko Dangote and the Olam Group Managing Director Venkataramani Srivathsan are to be honoured at the event.
The forum will serve as an avenue for the states and private concerns to showcase their work during the video exhibition session.
Below are the profiles of winners:
Ambode
After serving the state as a civil servant, Akinwunmi Ambode became the governor of Lagos State after winning election as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in 2015.
Ambode has become a household name in the agriculture community. In his determination to take the Centre of Excellence destination of choice for investors and entrepreneurs, the governor launched many schemes with far-reaching implications towards agriculture growth and food security for the nation’s industrial hub.
He is also playing critical role in mobilising global resources and partnerships towards the development of Lagos in the provision of state-of-the-art infrastructure and security of lives and properties.
His efforts have yielded substantial dividend in the volume of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that has flowed into the state. The investment in infrastructure upgrade has raised the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Ambode’s quest to boost rice production and ensure food security brought about the collaboration between the Lagos and Kebbi states governments. After signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in March 2016, Ambode and his Kebbi state counterpart, Atiku Bagudu, launched a successful partnership that gave rise to the local production of LAKE (Lagos-Kebbi) Rice.
Efforts have been made to improve productivity in agriculture by focusing on the whole value chain with emphasis on enterprises where the state has comparative advantage.
Today, Lagos farmers have been effectively linked to markets and they have been creating job opportunities in poultry, agriculture, fisheries and horticulture in the state.
To expand its agricultural initiatives, the state government has gone to other states, such as Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Bauchi to acquire land for agricultural purposes.
Shettima
Kashim Shettima, an agricultural economist, became the governor of Borno State in 2011. He attended Government Community Secondary School, Biu (1978-1980) and Government Science Secondary School in Potiskum, Yobe State (1980-1983). He graduated in Agricultural Economics at the University of Maiduguri in 1989. For his National Youth Service he worked with the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank in Calabar (1989-1990). Shettima attended the University of Ibadan (1990-1991), gaining a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics. From 1991 to 1993 he was a lecturer in Agricultural Economics at the University of Maiduguri.
Shettima worked with the Commercial Bank of Africa as an agricultural economist at its Ikeja Office, Lagos State (1993-1997). He rose to the positions of a deputy manager and substantive manager at the Kaduna branch of the African International Bank Limited.
He was appointed deputy manager/branch head of Zenith Bank, Maiduguri Office, in 2001, becoming the general manager five years later.
His foray into politics started with his appointment as the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development in 2007 in the administration of former governor Ali Modu Sheriff. He later held the forte in the ministries of Local Government & and Chieftaincy Affairs, Education, Agriculture and Health.
The governor accords priority to agriculture transformation to fight poverty and end insurgency. Shettima said this at the Third Nigeria Zero Hunger Forum in Maiduguri.
His administration initiated various programmes to enhance farmer support services; encourage agricultural mechanization, processing and farmer entrepreneurial skills.
The programmes were also designed to add value and provide market to the produce as well as enhance food security and wealth creation in the society.
Notwithstanding the devastation of farmlands by the Boko Haram insurgency in his domain, the state government has launched the first rice pyramids.
At the capacity-filled Ramat Square venue of the launch Maiduguri residents witnessed the erection of three-towered pyramids of 33,000 bags of rice packed in national colours, signifying the place of agriculture to the present administration
The Shettima administration is building the largest greenhouse in sub-Saharan Africa, measuring 53,000 square meters. The net house, now at an advanced stage, has a dual operation drip irrigation process, a factory for production and fabrication of drip line, as well as emitters to ease maintenance and operation of drip systems and long term sustainability of the project.
Amosun
Ibikunle Amosun took the saddle as governor in the Gateway State in 2011 and was re-elected for years later. Upon assumption of office, he outlined his administration’s Mission to Rebuild Agenda (MRA). The agenda is anchored on a five-point cardinal plank.
Amosun’s guiding principle has been to improve food security and reduce poverty through public-private sector initiatives. To achieve this, he has implemented major economic and educational policies aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of food among residents, enhanced farmers’ earnings and improved school attendance and child nutrition through the nationwide feeding programme.
Under his leadership, the state has been able to cut by half the proportion residents, suffering from hunger. Agricultural Extension Service has been reactivated and special attention is being paid to educate farmers on best practices. As a result, food crops such as maize, cassava, yams and plantains increased significantly. There has been a remarkable improvement in livestock production.
With the encouragement from the government, many farm settlements have been established and hundreds of agriculture cooperative societies have benefited from the Commercial Agric Loan introduced by the state government. In one year alone, the government produced and sold one million cocoa seedlings to farmers at highly subsidized rate in order to reinvigorate the industry.
Seventy hectares of Cassava Multiplication Plantation were cultivated for the generation of cassava cuttings to meet industrial and nutritional needs of the populace. The government has equally built model farm estates with modern houses in order to encourage graduates of Agriculture and allied disciplines to practice and make the sector attractive to youths.
Amosun is taking full advantage of the agricultural value-chain to boost the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) profile. His administration has shown commitment to process farm produce and not a few local and foreign investors have shown interests.
Dickson
Seriake Dickson is is spearheading a silent agricultural revolution as the Bayelsa State governor. More than 80 per cent of the population relies on agriculture for meal tickets.
The state has been contending with mixed results in agricultural growth and food security due to poor sector leadership, erratic rainfall patterns, poor inputs distribution system and little investments. These results awakened the government to the imperative to do something about agriculture. But the story is changing.
With plans to review sector policy objectives, the Dickson administration put special emphasis on food crops above traditional export crops. It is allocating more resources to agriculture and improving service delivery through restructuring of public implementing institutions.
The growth experienced by Bayelsa has to shore up the state’s domestic food production.
The state’s success story in agriculture is captured in agricultural and animal productivity gains and the expansion of production both for staple crops and animal products.
The gains in productivity through yield increases and expansion of production were made possible through significant government-led interventions such as increase in acreage under irrigation and protected against soil erosion.
Efforts are also being put in building resilience through value addition and risk management in post-harvest handling, storage improvements and integrated livestock management. Risk mitigation interventions have also been initiated to boost farmers’ resilience to external shocks.
According to Dickson, Bayelsa is the world’s best-kept investment secret. He called on investors to take advantage of the investment-friendly environment to unveil the investment secrets.
Lalong
Simon Lalong made a pledge to end hunger in Plateau State the centerpiece his campaign. The governor is championing the battle against hunger.
Despite being a food basket, Lalong’ administration is unrelenting on the implementation of agriculture-oriented projects in fisheries, crop production and livestock farming.
Investments in agriculture and water technology by private and public orgnisations have been of tremendous help, make farming more competitive. The state has succeeded in large scale implementation of better soil and farm management to consistently achieve growth.
The government is raising awareness amongst farmers on better soil management by paying attention to soil health for enhanced yields.
It has initiated policies to attract local and foreign investment into the agriculture and agro-processing industry.
Bagudu
The hard-earned status of Kebbi State as an agricultural success story is incomplete without the contributions of Governor Atiku Bagudu.
Today, agriculture is the backbone of the state economy as four out of every five persons rely on it for income. Under the ambitious plan, the government has given support to farmers to increase rice cultivation and fertiliser and seedlings to replenish soil nutrients.
The results have been instant and food experts and advocacy groups took turns at extolling Kebbi as an example of Africa’s “green revolution.”
The Bagudu administration has established an impressive network of irrigation infrastructure, comprising dug wells, tube wells, tanks/ponds and government canals, through a combination of public investment and incentivising private sector investment.