The Nation Newspaper

Tag: REVOLUTION

  • Here comes Nigeria’s rice revolution

    Here comes Nigeria’s rice revolution

    The Federal Government’s economic diversification efforts in the agric sector appear to be yielding dividends. With the harvest of local rice, especially by Lagos and Kebbi states, the prices of the staple food have dipped, raising the hope that the ‘rice revolution’ will manifest this year, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Rice is a staple food in Nigeria. But it’s not just a food that satisfies hunger, it enriches meals and cultures of many Nigerians.

    It was, however,  not a surprise that many  Nigerians were  worried  when the price of rice rose sharply from N10,000 second quarter to about N26,000 towards the end of  the last quarter. The spike in rice prices sent shockwaves around the country. The price hike  caused many people to panic. Expectedly, perhaps, as more than half of the nation’s population depends on rice for food, most of them the poorest of the poor.

    At N18, 000 per bag, the price of  rice was high enough to affect even the middle class.

    A rice seller, Onyeka Abia, in Somolu expressed concern that the  price hike would make consumers pay more for a cup of the staple. The situation was  damaging government’s  public support as more Nigerians became agitated since they could no longer afford rice. The situation was worsened by the enforcement of the  ban on rice importation through the land borders.

    The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) said rice importation through land borders remained banned and prohibited, warning that those caught violating the law would be arrested and prosecuted. The Service said those coming into the country legitimately through the seaports, where proper duties and extant charges are paid, will continue through the end of last year.

    The Comptroller-General, NCS had also revealed that 24.992 metric tonnes of rice valued at N2.34 billion were imported between October 2015 and March 2016 before the ban. The reduced rice supplies from land importation plus the rising demand for the staple, affected its price. This further created artificial crisis, which jerked up its price. Some blamed inflation for the crisis, emphasising the role of a plummeting naira in a free market.

    Indeed, the  falling value of the naira was partly causing the price, not only of rice, but practically food stuff to skyrocket.

    According to stakeholders, the fuel price made production and distribution of goods and services expensive.

    A bag of rice that  sold at N11,000 in January, six months after,  sold at N13,000 through the borders.

    Abia noted that spiraling rice prices have left Nigerians facing one of their worst food crisis.

    Over the year, rice price eventually hit N27,000 a bag , while there has been no corresponding increase in wages.

    Once self-sufficient in rice, Nigeria was listed as one of the world’s top importer of milled rice.With rice stocks low, some rice traders expressed fears of being caught out by price hike.

    Some rice sellers such as Abia complained that they would prefer to have stable prices than high prices. Rice prices increased by more than 50 per cent last year. By September, he was buying a bag of rice at N17, 000. The situation made rice shops around Shomolu the target of late night robberies with a rice seller around Pedro, Shomolu losing 57 bags in one robbery.

    Consequently, rice sellers had  to cut stocks to prevent a situation  where they would lose more when the night thieves struck.

    Few months to the end of the year, Customs officials barged into rice traders’ warehouses  and markets  suspected  of recieving smuggled products such as rice.

    But the government, highly conscious of social or political tensions caused by food inflation, moved to protect consumers by increasing local production. Instead of importing rice, the government worked towards supporting farmers to increase local production. The eat-local-rice policy was defended by the farming community. Many Nigerians also agreed that home-grown rice tastes best.

    Since November last year, national rice production  has increased tremendously over the past few weeks, improving the nation’s food security.

    At the same time, the gains in production, which resulted in the boost to rice supply, have made the commodity much cheaper and ultimately less profitable, particularly for small farmers.

    The price of rice for the first time went than to between N12,000 and N13,000.

    The government came up with short and long-term measures to increase rice cultivation by  providing soft loans for farmers, cooperatives and rice traders through the Central  Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Anchor Borrowers programme. There were  arrangements to facilitate business-matching for farmers to meet with millers and  rice sales via a number of methods. Rice farmers in Plateau were  optimistic of a bumper harvest last year with at least, one million tonnes.

    The Chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RiFAN), Plateau State Chapter,  Mr Joshua Bitrus, said harvest was  bountiful  from what they saw on ground,  as such they expected nothing less than one million tonnes of rice in the state.

    He lauded the efforts of the Federal Government to boost rice production and declared that rice production would triple in Plateau, when the Anchor Borrowers Scheme takes off. The Anchor Borrowers Scheme, initiated by the CBN, which will be test-run in Plateau during the dry season farming.

    A total of 1,065 hectares of land across the state have been identified, and they are areas close to water because water is crucial to rice farming. According to him, the success of  the pilot scheme will boost farmers’ morale and shore up interest in the scheme. The ban on importation of rice would also encourage the local farmer. He hoped that the price would remain at that level of N14000/50 kgs than the earlier price of N23000/50 kgs, so that farmers could get something reasonable for their efforts and be encouraged to cultivate more in coming years.

    Also, the Federal Government was planning in excess of 1.8 hectares of rice and wheat farmers for plantation in Jigawa state for the 2016  dry season. About 90,000 farmers were targeted for rice production  early this year.

    The  Federal Government would provide seeds, fertiliser and herbicide to the farmers at subsidised rates. Each farmer would be given three bags of fertilisers – two NPK and one Urea (50 kilogrammes) apart from 50 kilogrammes of seeds and two and a half litres of herbicide. With the support coming from the Anchor Borrowers programme, stakeholders expect irrigated rice cultivation to  reach  its pinnacle this year. The expectations are that almost all key rice producing states will receive ample rainfall.

    With new varieties being released to farmers, farmers expect good  harvest more than last year. As an important contribution to rice cultivation, stakeholders expect Lagos and Kebbi rice partnership to increase uptake and growth of rice and the potential to improve rice yields.

    Results have shown that Lagos and Kebbi states’ participation is achieving sustainable rice production.

    Farmers said rising imported rice prices were  putting pressure on the nation’s budget.

    Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode,  said  the  future of Nigeria rests on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two states  on rice production.

    In addition, it has been stated that both Kebbi and Lagos have entered an agreement to collaborate in using their comparative advantages to expand the cultivation and processing of rice and agricultural products too.

    “In fact, it is believed that we should be able to feed ourselves and Kebbi State being the largest producer of rice and Lagos being the largest consumer, we thought it may synergise to reduce the importation of rice in the country,” he said.

    President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN),  Dr  Victor Iyama, observed that Nigeria  is a good example of a country that was pushed to ignore its own food production, including rice.

    He said to be continuously dependent on rice imports was a perfect recipe for crisis. Iyama believed high-yield varieties and irrigation systems would lead to increased output of the staple grain. He expects government and the private sector to invest in  more efficient machines and farming methods, better irrigation systems, and new, more resilient and higher yielding varieties of rice to produce more of the primary staple with less cost in time and effort.

    Iyama said rice production is open to mechanisation and high-yielding strains that may be deployed. It may be one of the reasons why rice prices would not go up in tandem with some other commodities.

    One of the difficulties associated with growing rice is that a lot of water is required, using the traditional method for rice paddies.

    Iyama said this is not going to be an issue as farmers can dig boreholes to cope with the challenge of large water use. He doesn’t believe   rice fields have to be flooded with water every day to give better yields.  Iyama, a rice farmer, maintained that the best strategy for keeping the price of rice low was to ensure that production increased faster than demand.

    According to him, rice production could be increased by expanding cultivation and encouraging young people get involved in planting rice, which takes four months before harvest. He explained that increased investment would make rice markets more efficient, helping to bring rice prices down.

    Speaking with The Nation, Kebbi Chairman, Rice Farmers’ Association, Alhaji Sahabi Augie said a N12,000 per bag price of rice will go up till April when farmers will make the first harvest of the year.

    According to him, Nigeria has lots of potential growth in rice production. He  said Nigeria could be self-sufficient in rice production if there was enough support for those  in rice business. In the last couple of years, however, rains have become more unpredictable and drought has emerged as a growing concern in the northern part of the country.

    In response, the various governments have released drought-tolerant rice varieties that can be used in rainfed lowlands. Meanwhile, there are fears food prices are expected to remain volatile, though output is likely to grow later this year as farmers plant additional crops.

  • Revolution Nigerians have been waiting for

    One of the abiding arguments why people believe that politics and public service in Nigeria have failed is that many politicians and those in public office are not professionals. Even those with thriving businesses and professions, abandon them, on getting to high political offices.
    It is for this reason that they do everything in their powers to remain in office. For the professional politicians, they commit the most heinous crimes even to the extent of killing people, apart from the normal bribery, electoral heists and general corruption of the system to win the next elections.
    For the appointees, they do everything to bribe the next appointer. It is either they jump ship and start singing the praise of the next government in power or they become irascible critics that would make the most noise, a gimmick meant to attract attention to themselves only to shift their positions, once they are settled with the next appointments.
    In fact, the country is replete with those who have been in power or its corridors for as long as anyone could remember still clutching their files searching to secure either political offices or board appointments even with all the evidence of age-induced infirmities written all over them. There are examples of those who actually went to the extent of selling valuable properties to raise money to induce and outright bribe those they believe could get them appointments.
    Why? In Nigeria, people equate public office with arrival. It is never, to them, an opportunity to serve, but one that grants instant and boundless opportunities either to have full access to public coffers or position of influence towards getting in the dinner table to share the public cake without limits.
    That is the reason for the sadness, bitterness and general sense of loss for them and those around them out of office, as opposed to the merrymaking and stupendous joy at the point of appointment. Because they abandoned their professions or businesses, they never believe that there is anything again in the country for them. So, those that made this loss possible become instant enemies that must be pulled down at all cost.
    It is against this backdrop that the recent undertaking of Prof. Chinedu Nebo, must inspire and speak to a different paradigm, one that encourages life after public office. Nebo was at the office of the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, recently.
    The former Minister of Power, was there to present, what could be the solution Nigerians have been waiting for, to be liberated from decades of living in darkness figuratively and literally, due to lack of, or at best, epileptic power supply situation.
    Some fundamentals instantly come to the fore here. First, having been a university teacher and two-time vice chancellor of two federal universities, before becoming minister, he could be said to possess the credentials to look for the next job. At least, there are many in the corridors of power today who would likely listen to him, study those credentials and make his case at the highest echelon of power.
    Otherwise, he could also become a bitter critic of the government. He possesses not only enough personality and public influence to get the right attention, but the intellectual and language power to say the right things that would rock the system and lacerate the government and its officials to no ends.
    Indeed, being part of the last government which lost power, he ought also to have been equipped with the right sentiment – the bitterness of losing power to become a virulent clog in the wheel of progress, were he the ordinary Nigerian.
    But not Nebo. He did neither. Nor did he take the numerous international jobs waiting for him for the picking, as he peers would have done. Instead, he retired to the quietude of his original enclave – the research room, to apply his knowledge, which he had gathered and horned over the years in the classroom as scholar, teacher and high office holder.
    The result is that today, Nigeria may soon shout Eureka! For that singular disposition, a regime of 24-hour uninterrupted supply is beckoning.
    He explains: “Before I ended my tenure as Federal Minister of Power, I had chanted to all who wanted to listen that the big power machines, those mighty turbines that are several hundreds of megawatts capacity may take decades to solve Nigeria’s power problems. And for that reason, we needed to do a lot of embedded generation – small scale power generators that will saturate the entire landscape of our country and help to bring about industrial revolution, by making power available at the beck and call of our people.”
    The result, according to him, is the Power Seed Web (PSW) system, a system he described as not only science and technology at its best, but one that is 15 to 20 years ahead of the world.
    How it works: The PSW in a layman’s perspective, according to Nebo, is designed to use the same quantity of fuel, needed to generate a small capacity generator to generate 10 times or more what ordinarily was possible. For instance, using the less than the amount of fuel needed to produce a 25kilowatts to generate 250kilowatts of power and with the possibility and potential of producing one megawatt.
    He added: “The implications are mind-boggling. Number one, homes, businesses, industries, villages, agricultural clusters, manufacturing clusters, industrial clusters, schools, hospitals, campuses, you name it, can now get electricity at much less expenses.
    “Take for example, you have one of those mighty generators consuming 100litres an hour and our system will use only 20litres an hour, you save 80litres an hour and in one hour, you save 160,000 litres, in a day, maybe you run for 10hours, you save 1.6million, you can imagine the impact this will have on the society. So, the days of the big size generators are numbered, as our innovative machines can save up to 80 per cent of the fuel needed to run them.
    “Next, we have also designed and tested a power ovary machine and seed, driven by 100 per cent renewable energy. In other words, we have also designed one that doesn’t need fossil fuel or any non-renewable fuel to drive. That will be the next level production of our innovation and the implications are astounding – clean, cheap electricity, produced by machines, made in Nigeria, by Nigerian engineers. And this can be used for embedded generation in every part of Nigeria.”
    The beauty of the entire phenomenon is in its simple operation. Unlike the big turbine that takes the space of a whole village, this particular one could simply be vehicle-mounted in an estate, a village or industrial cluster.
    Then, gone would be stories of bursting and vandalising of gas pipelines that feed electricity turbines, vandalising transmission lines and stealing cables or vandalising transformers as have been the lot of the old system.
    Besides, by the time the target consumers are cut off from the national grid, more power would be freed and the surplus used to service consumers still connected to the system.
    The result – Nigerians will simply return to work. With that comes smoking chimneys resulting from rolling machines in the factories, restive youths off the streets, creative minds revving up, a thriving economy and ultimately, waking the Nigerian giant. How else is public service defined?
    Onu described it as a futuristic vision, the type that turned Japan into an industrial giant, when they went for the option of developing smaller cars that consumed less fuel as opposed to the American cars known for huge consumption of gasoline.
    Whatever comes from Nebo’s efforts remains to be seen. But what is evident so far, is that public office is not the only way to contribute to public service or public good. That’s the message.
    •Igboanugo, a journalist, lives in Abuja.

  • Media and Ikpeazu’s infrastructure revolution

    Media and Ikpeazu’s infrastructure revolution

    SIR: No project presently demands the deployment of the ancillary roles of the press more than the infrastructure revolution of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State. Ikpeazu has kept to his promise of using the dry season window to fix the dilapidated Faulks Road. It will be recalled that Ikpeazu had earlier flagged off the reconstruction of 4.7km Faulks Road with a contract sum of N6.8 billion. This approach was to provide a permanent solution to the strategic road which has defied efforts by the previous government due to the menace of flood.

    Ifeobara basin, an artificial lake, collects run off storm water from most part of Aba, especially the Ariaria area. The basin is usually filled with domestic waste, debris, silts and sediments which impede the underground drains to discharge water whenever there is heavy rain because they are blocked. Recovering and desilting the basin is strategic to a successful reconstruction of Faulks Road. It has been severally posited in the past that the past administrations failed in their bid to fix Faulks Road because proper attention was never given to Ifeobara basin. Also, Ifeobara is a major contributor to the problems Ukwi- Mango and the flood water along Faulks. Therefore, complementing the road reconstruction with 5.6km underground water channel would proffer a lasting solution to the lingering problems of both Ukwu-Mango and the flood water along Faulks Road.

    Faulks Road is very strategic to the commercial life of Aba, the commercial- nerve of Abia State and indeed, the South-east. The road begins from Brass Junction by Aba-Owerri Road through Ukwu-Mango to Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway. It also serves a major link to Ariaria International Market. Ariaria International Market which was established in the 1970s, is arguably is the largest market East of the Niger. The market cuts across three local government areas of Aba North, Aba South and Osisioma, and countries of West and Central Africa such as Cameroun and Gabon are served by the market. The market is the largest shoemaking cluster in Africa with 85 zones.

    The media is expected to go beyond the surface of Ikpeazu government’s policies and programmes to explain, where necessary ask questions, to ensure that the public’s support is mobilised for such policies and programmes.

    The mass media are both agenda setters and opinion moulders. They have enormous role to play in Ikpeazu’s infrastructure revolution in Abia State.

     

    • Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu,

    keshiafrica@gmail.com

  • Ishaku: Mobilising Tarabans for hydro power revolution

    Ishaku: Mobilising Tarabans for hydro power revolution

    After more than 50 years on the drawing table, the Mambilla Hydro Electricity Power project has finally resurrected, courtesy of a new vision and commitment being jointly promoted by the Federal Government and the administration of Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State.  Taraba is the host state for the project while the Federal government is its main promoter and financier.

    At the national level, the project has become a regular agenda at the Federal Executive Council meetings. Top officials of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing are also constantly working on various aspects of the implementation policy. On its part, Taraba State is pregnant with expectations. Ishaku has been on top of the campaign that is mobilizing people of the state to support the project while Chinese team of engineers is now regular visitors to Mambilla Plateau, the site of the project.

    Recently, a stakeholders meeting was held in Abuja with Governor Ishaku and Mr. Babatunde Fashola, (SAN) minister of Power, Works and Housing. Each of the two leaders was accompanied by a strong delegation of experts in all the departments of engineering and in hydro-electricity technology. The meeting which has greatly invigorated interests on all sides of the divide, came on the heels of a new positive attitude displayed by the Federal Government through the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to China earlier in the year.  The President had used the opportunity of that visit to tie up the loose ends of the Memorandum of Understanding signed several years ago between Nigeria and China for the execution of the project.

    The Abuja meeting dwelt extensively on the need for all the critical stakeholders to play their roles and make desirable sacrifices where and when necessary, for the success of the project. Other critical issues such as environmental impact assessment, payment of compensation which the meeting decided will be made in the local currency were discussed. Governor Ishaku pledged his support and the support of the entire people of Taraba State for the project and noted that the state was fully mobilised to play its role as the chief host. A joint committee of the Ministry of Power, Transport and Housing and the Taraba State government was set up at the meeting to fine-tune plans for the smooth implementation of the project. It is to also help resolve all grey areas that may hinder progress. It is co-chaired by Governor Ishaku and Fashola.

    The Mambilla Hydro Electricity Power project has a long history. The idea was conceived in the 60s by Nigeria’s first set of political leaders. In the Second Republic political dispensation, the administration of President Shehu Shagari also Aexpressed a commitment to the project. Besides that, nothing really happened again until the coming into office of President Olusegun Obasanjo who, in 2007, awarded contracts for the project. That was the first major step towards the actualisation of the project. Even after then, there were no practical steps taken to execute the project. In 2013, the project suffered a setback with the cancellation of the initial Memorandum of Understanding. Later the administration of Presdent Goodluck Jonathan reviewed the project and even expanded its scope to generate 3050 MW instead of 2,600 MW. The administration also appointed three Chinese companies highly reputed in dam construction and hydro-electricity technology generally for the project.

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to China earlier this year came as a laudable endorsement of the vision of his predecessors that gave birth to the idea and nurtured it until he took over the country’s mantle of leadership. That visit has put a stamp of urgency on the project and even the Chinese partners in the project are convinced about the administration’s commitment to the project. The Mambilla project is one of the best, if not the best, things that will happen to Nigeria’s desire for increased power generation and stability of electricity power. Any leader with the political will to execute this project would be writing his name in gold.  President Buhari seems to be that leader that the Mambilla Hydro project has been waiting for. Can he do it? And will he do it? Yes, he can and he should do it. If he does, Nigerians will forever be grateful to him for the courage and the determination that helped in curing an electricity power malady that had become a source of embarrassing national malaise.

    The Mambilla Hydro project is Africa’s biggest dam project for generating electricity. It will boost employment opportunities and facilitate national economic growth. Even though the Mambilla project is a national venture, the people of Taraba State will profit immensely from it and its ancillary plants and industries. It will attract most of its technical and non-technical hands from the state and this means a jump in economic activities and living standards in the state. The coming of the project will increase demand for houses, hotels and restaurants. It will dramatically alter the profile of the state by making it a bigger investment hub. Indigenes of the state cannot afford to be left out in the race for space in the huge market that the project is soon to turn their state into.

    It is for these reasons and more that Governor Ishaku is out mobilizing the people and campaigning for support for the project. A few days before his meeting with Fashola in Abuja, Ishaku had called a stakeholders meeting in the state. He used the meeting to educate the people on the benefits of the project and the need for them to support it. He advised the youths in the state, in particular, to tailor their choice of academic careers towards fields that are related to Hyro electricity because the project is coming with huge employment opportunities for such qualifications. He also cautioned the people against indiscriminate sale of lands on the Mambilla Plateau and its environs. Land in these areas will attract high demands and prices.

    The Mambilla project is what Nigeria needs to break the jinx of power instability that has become a kind of affliction. President Buhari seems determined to break this jinx this time round with the amount of commitment he has demonstrated so far. On his part, Governor Ishaku has pledged and practically demonstrated his commitment to the implementation of the project. There is no reason therefore for the project to fail to take off. The onus is now on the Federal Government, the financing agency, to ensure the take off of the project by committing funds to it. This project must not suffer from the torpidity that had crippled its execution in the hands of previous federal administrations for more than two decades.

     

    • Abulemo is an Abuja-based Public Affairs commentator

  • Maitama Sule calls for a revolution?

    Alhaji Maitama Sule is easily one of the biggest minds, and one of the biggest hearts, in our country. I became considerably close to him in the 1970s when I was a member of the National Antiquities Commission and he was chairman of it. Because I saw in him such loftiness of humanity, such talent, such broad-mindedness, and such untainted love for people, I often wondered why the northern political elite never put him forth as candidate for the position of topmost ruler of our country.  And when the northern-based NPN nominated another man as its presidential candidate in 1979, I could not resist asking openly, “Why not Maitama Sule?”

    Last week, Alhaji Maitama Sule’s mighty voice issued a call for a revolution in our country – a revolution without any violence or bloodshed, a revolution that Nigerians courageously rise up and carry out, a revolution that will completely change the way our lives are being managed in this country, a revolution that will profoundly change the structure and manner of our governance, a revolution that will wipe out the constraints that, since independence, have been treacherously imposed upon enterprise and productivity in our country, etc.

    My assessment is that Alhaji Maitama Sule has validated all those Nigerians who have been demanding in-depth change in this country. He has handed serious encouragement to them. And, at this time when our country is heading manifestly into deeper and deeper poverty and deprivation, when, indeed, our country seems to be heading for its death and to conflict and ruin, we Nigerians must not only thank God for Maitama Sule’s call for a revolution, we must, in our various ways, rise up and respond.

    Nigeria cannot – simply cannot – continue the way it is now going. Nearly six decades of crookedness and impunity have brought Nigeria to the verge of ruin. Our former president, Goodluck Jonathan, used to say that he was not the cause or beginning of Nigeria’s complicated problems, and he was right. His failure was in his inability or unwillingness to invest his presidency in real change. Our present president too is neither the cause or beginning of our problems. But he is already failing too because he allows various unworthy factors to inhibit him from pursuing real change.

    As we see him now, he seems to operate in the belief that his most important charge is to maintain, and provide for the sustenance of, his Fulani nation’s position of dominance in Nigeria. He ought to be viewing the massive loss of revenue from oil as a God-given opportunity to revive the fundamental strengths of our country’s economy. He ought to be striking boldly for the revival of those productive features that made our economy buoyant and our people reasonably comfortable before independence –  our farmers’ impressive outputs in groundnuts, cocoa, palm produce, gum-Arabic, cotton, etc. To achieve this, he ought to strike boldly for a restructuring of our federation, for the redistribution of power and resource development as between the federal and the state-local governments, and for massive encouragement and assistance to the state-local governments to revive the myriads of local support systems and traditions that used to empower our export-crop farmers. He ought to champion the decentralization of power generation, in order to make electricity available more widely and more surely in our country, and thus enhance entrepreneurial venturing and success. Rather than do any of these and other things that can boost enterprise in our country, he prefers to hold on to everything as federal ruler, so that, as far as we can see, his Fulani people may not lose power.

    For instance, some days ago, there was a report to the effect that the federal government was going to boost Nigeria’s cocoa production to about five million tons per annum. Federal government to boost cocoa production? How? Can it be that the persons responsible for these policies believe that Nigerians are ignorant of the fact that the expertise and traditions by which the producer farmers of cocoa (and groundnuts, cotton, palm produce, etc) were once encouraged belong to our state and local governments? Let them not be deceived. We remember that it was when the federal government, in its zeal to control everything, scrapped our regional produce marketing boards and took over control that our farmers almost totally gave up producing these crops. Do these barons in power in the federal government now believe that, yet again, we can be deceived that it is the federal government that will revive the production of these crops?

    Even worse, our president seems to believe that a massive build-up of federally-controlled military and security forces is the way to hold Nigeria together in the hands of his Hausa-Fulani nation. And he has put his kinsmen in charge of most critically important offices in the military and security forces. As I have said many times in this column, he has junked the political party that recommended him to us Nigerians for election, and has built up an administration almost totally manned by his kinsmen whom “he knows”.  And, by doing these things he is expanding and enhancing fear among the other peoples of Nigeria and, God forbid, he may be paving the way for some big trouble in this country.

    That is why we must not lose the opportunity to respond to the message of a very credible Nigerian elder statesman like Maitama Sule. Obasanjo and Jonathan are southerners. They are both products of peoples who lead Nigeria in the quest for sane decentralization of power and resource development in this country. But when they rose to the presidency, they both preferred to keep federal power intact, or even to build more on it. Buhari comes from a nation that is passionately, unrepentantly, determined to keep everything in the hands of the federal government, and then to control it perpetually themselves. Yes, what our country needs most now is diversification in resource development; but why should we hope that Buhari will ever do it? The obvious answer is to do what Alhaji Maitama Sule has called upon us all to do.

    As Alhaji Maitama Sule said, the word revolution is scary. It tends to conjure up images of masses of angry people pulling things down, causing mayhem and even causing injuries and death. But Alhaji Maitama Sule says that the revolution he envisages does not have to have any of these evils. He urges us Nigerians to stop being afraid to take the life of our country into our hands, and to step out with courage to bring new direction into the life and management of our country. I am sure that almost all elder citizens like me agree fully with him, because we would like to see this country return to the country which we knew when we were younger, the country that was brimming with enthusiasm and hope.  All of us Nigerians of all ages can do what Alhaji Maitama Sule has urged – courageously, resolutely, peacefully, successfully – and hand a much better country to our descendants.

  • Oyedepo hailed for pioneering agriarian revolution

    Vice Chancellor, Landmark University, Prof Aize Obayan, has praised the founder of the university, Bishop David Oyedepo, for establishing the institution with the aim of provoking global agrarian revolution.

    Prof Obayan, who also identified agriculture as the antidote to current economic situation, urged authorities to renew commitment to agriculture to transit from an importing nation to an export-driven economy.

    She spoke to newsmen in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State at a briefing to mark the 62nd birthday of  Dr. Oyedepo.

    Prof Obayan described Dr. Oyedepo as a visionary leader of global repute, whose obedience to the divine call and passion for the vision, had brought remarkable transformation to the education landscape, and agricultural revolution in Africa.

    She said: “We are here today, celebrating a man with a selfless service to God and humanity, an illustrious son of Africa who through capacity initiatives and efforts has provided hope to many lives globally.

    “We are appreciating God’s grace upon the life of His servant whose agenda to drive change and transformation in Africa and the world at large is unmistaken.

    “We are celebrating a man of vision who demonstrated a prompt obedience to divine instruction and by this provides a better platform for the landscape of agriculture and education.”

    Prof Obayan lamented that the global economic downturn occasioned by the fall in crude oil price was taking a toll on Nigeria, saying emphasis should be laid on individuals return to farming.

    She said:  “We are convinced that attaining success in the agricultural sector would reduce food importation that fuels domestic inflation and depletes foreign reserves.”

    “Wisdom, therefore, demands that agricultural products should be used as input for our own home-made products so that we can export finished products.

    “According to a World Bank projection, about 100 million young people will be joining the labour queue by 2035.

    “This is an awful picture of a nation with lesser job opportunities, which implies that there would be no jobs outside agriculture to meet the employment needs of these people.

    “Experts agree that the next gold pool of jobs would be in agriculture and services sector of the economy.”

    Prof Obayan continued:  “We are unrelenting in championing the crusade of awareness that agriculture is not just about farming; it is about the entire value chain, which is impressively gaining grounds.

    “It is capable of turning people, particularly the youths into agricultural entrepreneurs.”

    She noted that as an importing nation that needs dollar reserves to support her import needs, Nigeria’s reserves keep depleting as world oil price declines.

    “To stop bleeding the external reserves, the Central Bank of Nigeria has urged Nigerians to begin to process raw materials to get more value and earn more foreign exchange.”

    Prof Obayan revealed that the university was collaborating with  Shonga Farms, Kwara State, Songhai Farms, Benin Republic, and Elpassso Farms, Pretoria, South Africa.

  • Oyedepo hailed for pioneering agriarian revolution

    Oyedepo hailed for pioneering agriarian revolution

    Vice Chancellor, Landmark University, Prof Aize Obayan, has praised the founder of the university, Bishop David Oyedepo, for establishing the institution with the aim of provoking global agrarian revolution.

    Prof Obayan, who also identified agriculture as the antidote to current economic situation, urged authorities to renew commitment to agriculture to transit from an importing nation to an export-driven economy.

    She spoke to newsmen in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State at a briefing to mark the 62nd birthday of  Dr. Oyedepo.

    Prof Obayan described Dr. Oyedepo as a visionary leader of global repute, whose obedience to the divine call and passion for the vision, had brought remarkable transformation to the education landscape, and agricultural revolution in Africa.

    She said: “We are here today, celebrating a man with a selfless service to God and humanity, an illustrious son of Africa who through capacity initiatives and efforts has provided hope to many lives globally.

    “We are appreciating God’s grace upon the life of His servant whose agenda to drive change and transformation in Africa and the world at large is unmistaken.

    “We are celebrating a man of vision who demonstrated a prompt obedience to divine instruction and by this provides a better platform for the landscape of agriculture and education.”

    Prof Obayan lamented that the global economic downturn occasioned by the fall in crude oil price was taking a toll on Nigeria, saying emphasis should be laid on individuals return to farming.

    She said:  “We are convinced that attaining success in the agricultural sector would reduce food importation that fuels domestic inflation and depletes foreign reserves.”

    “Wisdom, therefore, demands that agricultural products should be used as input for our own home-made products so that we can export finished products.

    “According to a World Bank projection, about 100 million young people will be joining the labour queue by 2035.

    “This is an awful picture of a nation with lesser job opportunities, which implies that there would be no jobs outside agriculture to meet the employment needs of these people.

    “Experts agree that the next gold pool of jobs would be in agriculture and services sector of the economy.”

    Prof Obayan continued:  “We are unrelenting in championing the crusade of awareness that agriculture is not just about farming; it is about the entire value chain, which is impressively gaining grounds.

    “It is capable of turning people, particularly the youths into agricultural entrepreneurs.”

    She noted that as an importing nation that needs dollar reserves to support her import needs, Nigeria’s reserves keep depleting as world oil price declines.

    “To stop bleeding the external reserves, the Central Bank of Nigeria has urged Nigerians to begin to process raw materials to get more value and earn more foreign exchange.”

    Prof Obayan revealed that the university was collaborating with  Shonga Farms, Kwara State, Songhai Farms, Benin Republic, and Elpassso Farms, Pretoria, South Africa.

     

  • ‘No alternative to agric revolution’

    Nigeria will attain sustainable food supply and reduce imports by  70 per cent in the next 12 months with the agricultural sector roadmap, Chief Executive Officer of Vegefresh Company Limited, Mr. Samuel Samuel has said.

    The roadmap titled: The green alternative: Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016 to 2020 was launched by the Federal Government last week.

    He described the policy as one of the best in the history of the nation and that it could boost local production and cut food imports if well-implemented.

    Hailing the administration for coming up with the policy, Samuel said it will radically usher the nation to an era of agricultural revolution and national prosperity.

    “It (roadmap) has captured almost all the challenges and proffered solutions with clear time line for each deliverables. I see Nigeria attaining sustainable food supply in the next six to 12 month; I see Nigeria reducing food imports by as much as 70 per cent in the next one year.”

    He said the regime of food importation that costs the nation a staggering N1.4trillion yearly is unsustainable and untenable.

    Such development, he said, is unhealthy for the nation’s productive capacity and trade balance.

    He pointed out most imported food items are subsidised by the originating countries to encourage the unhealthy consumption pattern of Nigerians.

    Samuel said: “We cannot continue this regime of food imports completely. No developed nation depends on food imports. Why should Nigeria continue to be the highest importer of sugar, rice, wheat, tomatoes and others?

    “The world has been subsidising supply of foods to us because they want to remain largest producers of rice, tomatoes and all likes.

    “They produce these items but do not consume them. They import to us because they want to have their people engaged and attract our resources.”

    Harping on the need for sustainable local food production, he said the economic recession leaves Nigeria with no choice than to embrace the new policy thrust of the government.

    “Nigeria does not have any alternative for now. We have been pushed to the wall and we have to just do this.

    “Nigeria does not have the money to import foods anymore and we have to feed ourselves,” he stressed.

    He explained that attaining local food sufficiency will create a bunch of well-fed, highly motivated and productive Nigerians who can boost national productivity in no time.

    He called on Nigerians to bear with the upsurge in food prices caused by tightening of borders to food imports.

    The policy, he said, has temporary pains that will deliver lasting gains for the nation.

    “Nigeria must stop consumption pattern and become more productive. This our “quick-quick” type of economy must stop.

    “Everybody thinks short term and no one wants to make any sacrifices to build.

    “It gets to a time in the life of a man when he is forced to make such sacrifices. Nigeria is at such a time

    “This is a time of sacrifices for Nigerians. We should find a sustainable, resilient financing approach to every level of production,” Samuel explained.

    He however called on the government to rduce the effects of rising food prices by providing temporary social intervention programmes for the masses.

    He also canvassed supports for local, patriotic businesses to scale through the biting costs of production and recession.

    On how the policy can work, Samuel advised the Federal Government to embark on aggressive mobilisation drive.

    This, he said, would require soliciting for the support of the business and investing communities as well as educational institutions to foster understanding and collaborative efforts.

  • Agric revolution: Fertilizer supply to the rescue

    Agric revolution: Fertilizer supply to the rescue

    Even before the recent attempt to link urea fertilizer producer Notore Chemical Industries Plc (Notore) to sabotage of Nigeria’s national security and economy, the fertilizer maker and distributor had stepped up its campaign to revolutionalise the agric sector through local supply of fertilizer. The move, seen as a shot in the arm of the ongoing agric transformation agenda, promises to enhance food production and food security. CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

    The management of urea fertilizer producer Notore Chemical Industries Plc (Notore) is literarily up in arms. Recent statements credited to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) that it was involved in activities that sabotage Nigeria’s security and economy did not go down well with the company.

    For one, the allegation, which specifically accused Notore of being a conduit for explosive materials used by militants, came at a time the fertiliser manufacturer said it was working assiduously to give the current administration’s agric transformation agenda the required push.

    Apparently livid over the weighty allegations, which it strongly denied, Notore on Monday said as a Nigerian company with predominantly Nigerian shareholders, it had always been committed and focused on supporting initiatives of the Federal Government, and championing the African Green Revolution, especially Nigeria’s.

    “Our attention has been drawn to various publications in the media containing serious allegations about Notore. In the publications, Notore is alleged to be sabotaging Nigeria’s national security and economy by being a conduit for explosive materials as well as being “unpatriotic.”  Notore is constrained to refute the allegations in the strongest terms,” the company said.

    Stating that it does not produce, import, or in any way use nitric acid, Notore said it has worked and continues to work with government agencies to ensure that its products move strictly through its controlled distribution channels directly to official distribution partners and then into the market.

    The company, in a statement made available to The Nation, also said it is the premier producer of urea fertiliser in sub-Saharan Africa; that it has been in production for over six years and it remained committed to its core goal of enhancing food production and food security in Africa, particularly in Nigeria.

    Notore said part of its strategy to achieve this goal is to focus on sales of fertilizer in the local market via its extensive, controlled and award-winning distribution channels. It also has and uses extension workers who are committed to the training of local farmers on best practices and the creation of ‘test plots’ to showcase the benefits of effective use of fertilizer on crops.

    It listed other strategies to include the creation of an effective and efficient distribution channel to ease access to fertilizers for the farmers, as well as boosting production capacity to meet the ever increasing demand of the Nigerian farmer.

    The Onne, Rivers State-based fertiliser maker and distributor said over the past years, through its private extension services and controlled distribution channels, which include over 2, 500 Village Promoters, it has reached over three million Nigerian farmers who have been impacted positively with increased yields.

    The company added that as estimated by a 2013 report by Propcom-DFID, an innovative, market-driven initiative of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) that aims to reduce poverty in Nigeria, over 33 per cent of smallholder farmers in seven selected northern states learned at least one improved farming practice from Notore’s activities. This led to increased yields and income.

    That is not all. The fertilizer producer also said it worked with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, some selected states, and International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) in designing and implementing the fertilizer voucher program between 2009 and 2012.

    The programme, it stated, greatly improved the administration of the fertilizer subsidy programme by increasing the reach to target beneficiaries from a previous 11 per cent to as high as 60 per cent.

    “The success of this voucher programme became the basis on which the Federal Government created the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) e-wallet program, which sought to improve agricultural productivity through the effective and efficient delivery of farm inputs such as fertilizer, which increased yields.

    “It is through these and other activities that Notore has helped and continues to help build Nigeria’s agricultural and economic landscape, which has a direct impact on the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” the statement stated.

    The Nation also learnt that as part of its commitment to Nigeria, the bulk (about 75 per cent) of Notore’s production of fertilizer is focused on the Nigerian market. And because Nigeria largely has only one planting season, the majority of this production is sold locally during this peak season, while Notore only exports limited amounts of fertilizer during the dry season.

    Indeed, during the dry season, there is essentially zero demand for fertilizer in Nigeria. But, Notre, it was learnt, continued to work aggressively with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to encourage and stimulate farming in Nigeria during the off-season in order to further its core goal of increased food production and food security in Nigeria.

    For instance, the compny has been a key partner in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ Program aimed at increasing the local production of key crops. During the recently completed pilot of the rice anchor borrowers’ program in Kebbi State, it supplied all the urea fertilizer used in the programme.

    The result of the intervention was visible, as it delivered the requested fertilizer for the programme within a very short period to all the locations in which the program was implemented in the state. In continuation of that program, it has also committed to supplying all the urea fertilizer required for the program during the current rainy season in all 11 target states.

    “Another example of Notore’s aggressive efforts to stimulate farming in Nigeria is its successful onion intervention in Kebbi State. In 2010, an unprecedented severe case of onion twister disease in Kebbi State, similar to the recent tomato crisis, crippled all farming activities involving onions. As of the time of Notore’s intervention in 2010, onions were in short supply with high demand, thereby raising the price to an all-time high of N40,000 per bag,” the statement noted.

  • ‘Mimiko’s industrial revolution, a fallacy’

    ‘Mimiko’s industrial revolution, a fallacy’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ondo State Mr. Odunayo Akinrinsola has said that Governor Olusegun Mimiko does not have an agenda for the industrialisation of the state.

    Akinrinsola said the governor has not revived or created more industries since the inception of his administration in 2009.

    The aspirant, who spoke to reporters at his campaign office in Akure, the state capital, said the assurances by Mimiko were fake.

    Akinrinsola said he knew what transpired between a foreign company and the state government on the resuscitation of the Oluwa Glass industry, Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje local government.

    He said despite the company’s readiness to revive the industry, change the old machines without collecting money from the state, pay their tax and also create jobs for over 3000 people, the government never considered the proposal.

    He said that, on several occasions, the foreign company held meetings with the government, but it refused to give reasons why the company should take over the moribund industry.

    The aspirant said if Mimiko had industrialised the state, he would not be sweating to pay salaries.

    Akinrinsola, however, said his vision is to industrialise the state, thereby creating jobs.

    But, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Chief Ayo Abiola, said the intention to revive the moribund industries before the end of the year, is to improve the economy.