The federal government and Kebbi state government have taken steps to good governance through rural development and agriculture beyond the usual politicking. KABIRU DOGONDADJI reports on the recent joint efforts to alleviate hardships caused by trans-boundary pests
Worried about the annual visit by parasite quela birds and other trans-boundary pests that cause low harvest of farm produce, the Kebbi state government in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Agricultire and Rural Development has flag off an aerial spray of fadama farm lands across the state.
The exercise “Tagged” National Flag Off of the Control of Trans-boundary Pests in Front Line States” which took place at the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport Birnin Kebbi, recently had the attendance of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh, top government functionaries and macro and micro farmers across the state.
Kebbi state situated along the famous River Niger and blessed with a confluence of four rivers that flow across the state coupled with fertility of the soil which such advantage turned the entire state as agrarian where 80 percent of the people engaged in farming and today is one of the major producer of rice in the country, but in every situation some misfortunes do occur that hindered every efforts, the alien birds known as Quela Birds that flies all the way from the middle-east had in the past caused nightmares to the teeming rice farmers in the state.
Some politicians in the state believe that the existing cordial relationship between the federal government and Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu contributed to the execution of the project, saying that the people would have been denied of good governance they yearned for if the governor had not played his politics wisely. They contend that the importance of good governance as a hallmark of democratic dividends has not been given adequate attention by past administrations in the state. The politicians and stakeholders in APC commended the governor for the success of the programme and maintaining a cordial relationship with the federal government.
They however cautioned that politics should not be mixed the welfare of the people. A chieftain of the APC in the state while expressing satisfaction with the steps taken by the governor to reach out to the people in dispensing democratic dividends, said good governance is all inclusive that could come through rural and agricultural empowerment and other programmes that transform lives of the people. He said what the governor did in the area of agriculture underscores the government’s agenda for the people of the state and that he is not to play politics with their lives.Based on the programme, there are mixed reactions.
Barrister Attahiru Maccido, APC, Kebbi state chairman, noted that the governor has attracted the attention of the federal government to the state in an unprecedented manner that will impact positively on the lives of the people. Maccido is of the view that dividends of democracy could be channeled through various fronts including agricultural empowerment, such as the collaboration between the federal government and Kebbi state government. He said the collaboration with the federal government on good governance for Kebbi people was a welcome development. He said political stakeholders should learn to put aside political differences in the general interest of the people, as he urged politicians to emulate the governor.
According to agricultural experts in the state annually thousands of metric tons of rice were lost to the parasite birds that moves in multitudes while millions of naira were also expended in a bid to dislodged them through an aerial spray of pesticides at night around their colonies, thou, the local farmers had been using other manual ways like drums, catapults and statures to fight them but to no avail because of their outrageous number.
Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu disclosed that the problem of rice farmers in the state is flooding and the menace of quela birds and other parasitic creatures that usually causes lower yields after every cropping season, he assured that his administration would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that farmers benefitted immensely from the agricultural transformation derive and which yielded positive results.
Citing example of the Central Bank and Kebbi State Anchor Borrower’s Programme a kind of financing model for small rice farmers as a soft loan which was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in November last year.
The programme covered over 70 thousand farmers while millions of metric tons of paddy rice was produced at the end of the cropping season. He disclosed that over one hundred million naira has been expended so far to fight the menace of parasites birds and has drastically reduced further destruction of crops by pests.
The governor declared that unemployment amongst youths would soon be a thing of the past because government has plan to fully engaged them in all its activities unless those that chosen to remain unemployed.
Bagudu further appealed to the federal government to extend similar gesture to other states in order to boost agricultural production, which will in return, create wealth and tackle unemployment problem, especially amongst the teeming unemployed youths.
He expressed optimism that the state in near future would feed the nation with rice as presently feeding Lagos state with meat, adding that 2500 heads of cattle were send to the state during the last Eid-el- fitr Sallah celebrations as part of MoU signed between the two states.
Chief Audu Ogbeh in his remarks commended the government and the people of Kebbi State for their efforts to liberate the nation’s economy through production of the most consumable item and enjoined other states of the federation to emulate Kebbi which has set up a good example.
He stated that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture under his supervision will not sit back in Abuja and allow crops to be destroyed by pests thereby, causing loss to farmers and the nation’s economy. The remedy according to him is to continue the yearly aerial spray of chemicals in the fadama farm lands until the pest is finally eradicated and our farmers have a peace of mind for them to grow more food for the nation.
The exercise was kick started with a practical aeriel survey of fadama farm lands and aerial spray of chemicals around Gulumbe, Zauro, Ambursa, Kardi and Birnin kebbi towns.
The permanent Secratery in the state ministry of Agriculture Alhaji Lawali Shehu Argungu warned the general public on consumption of the birds killed during the exercise, noting that they are harmful for human consumption therefore parents and leaders of thought should mount a vigorous campaign to sensitized people especially the children on such danger.
A cross section of farmers who spoke on the development told Blueprint that the gesture would in no small measure assisted them to improve their production, according to Alhaji Zaki Ambursa “The farmers around the river banks will surely be the ones to smile because we know the danger and challenges we faced by the occupation of such pests, few years ago these quela birds only visit us once a year but now they have finally settled here”
“We remain ever grateful to the federal government and our amiable governor Senator Atiku Bagudu for the gesture done to us, we really have a sense of belonging” he added.
However, Kebbi State is neighbour to two francophone countries i.e Niger and Benin Republics reasons why a number of alien parasites have their ways en route the state, therefore, only a joint efforts to control pests by the three nations could provide a lasting solution to the menace.
