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Enhancing Food Security: Governor Umo Eno’s Worthy Interventions

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By Michael Effiong

 

Today, the biggest threat to the survival of mankind is food security. Indeed, the phenomenon has taken a global dimension and is not confined to the borders of any nation.

 

Growing hunger has been fueled by a toxic mix of climate change, insecurity and a global economic crisis that has exacerbated poverty and inequality, affecting the ability of many families and communities to cope.

 

In Nigeria, at least in the last few months, there is no topic that has been more discussed than that of the rising cost of food stuff and the hunger in the land.

 

As US President John F. Kennedy once said, “The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.” This is a war that must be fought with vigor and won.

 

On his visit to Niger State on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called on states to support the federal government’s effort in the area of agriculture and food security.

Interestingly, long before this call by Mr. President, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has already taken action.

 

How? Well, you can call him the modern day Nostradamus and will not be wrong. It was not that he was clairvoyant but we can adduce it to his power of vision because agriculture was one of his focus areas even before his overwhelming victory at the polls on March 18, 2023.

 

The then candidate Umo Eno had developed an economic blueprint for his campaign dubbed the ARISE Agenda. A of the A-R-I-S-E stands for Agricultural Revolution.

 

Having had this as part of his economic blueprint, it is no wonder that the Umo Eno administration had already hit the ground running and has been laying out plans, programmes and projects that are worthy of emulation in a bid to stem the tide of the current national crisis.

Perhaps what can be described as the most impactful and innovative intervention in the area of food sufficiency and sustainability in the country at the moment was signed into law on Thursday, March 14, 2023 as the Akwa Ibom State Bulk Purchase Agency which aims at ensuring that staple foods are available, accessible and affordable to the most vulnerable in the state.

 

Everyone knows that implementing this kind of programme can be herculean, but the government set up a committee with a well-laid out plan to ensure this works efficiently.

 

This programme, like others the Governor has initiated, would be devoid of any political coloration. Already, government has met with traders and market associations. Foodstuff agents will be selected and trained.  They would all sign an agreement with government and would be the ones to operate branded shops and redemption centres that will be located in selected markets and points across the 31 LGAs.

 

The Agency would use a voucher system akin to the Food Stamps now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the United States.

 

The Akwa Ibom equivalent when deployed, will operate in a similar fashion because it would be strictly for vulnerable indigenes who will exchange the monthly vouchers for staple food items.

 

The beneficiaries would get direct subsidies as they would pay well-discounted prices to the agents for the value of the food item on each voucher. The accredited agents would later present these vouchers to government for reconciliation and reimbursement.

 

Furthermore, the Governor’s 368 Personal Assistants in the wards are to help implement the programme at the grassroots while names of all agents and beneficiaries ( drawn from the state social register which had recently been updated) would be published.

 

It is expected that from this arrangement and involvement of many stakeholders, the Agency’s mandate would be delivered within a short period of time.

 

Knowing full well that the Agency’s work is a short term measure, Governor Eno is also thinking long term and has started preaching the “Back-To-Farm” message. His goal is to inspire Akwa Ibomites from all walks of life to see the benefits of farming.

 

In his words: “Please everybody, no matter how small your land is even if it is just behind or beside your house, sow something. We must return to the farm”

 

Let us cast our minds back to what used to be the norm back in the day. Our parents and grandparents used to have little farms around the house where green vegetables, tomatoes, pepper, okra, maize, yams, cassava e.t.c. were grown. Some even reared chickens and goats too.

Governor Umo Eno signing an MOU with Prof. Godfrey Nzamujo of Songhai Farms Initiatives Nigeria

 

Many may see this as a call to subsistence farming in today’s technologically-advanced world, but in truth, if we are able to grow a few of what we eat, it will not only reduce the hunger in the land in a matter of months, but it will free up funds for people to use for other things.

 

This initiative by the Governor for rural and urban dwellers to go back to the farm is already being practiced by other countries to boost their food supply. It is called urban farming.

 

Countries such as Argentina, Australia, Canada and China are way ahead and have incorporated this into their urban planning and city regeneration projects.

 

A good example of the success of this initiative is the city of Rosario in Argentina. Rosario’s Urban Agriculture Programme (Programa de Agricultura Urbana, or PAU) started small, but now grows nearly 2,500 tons of food each year. What started as a means of feeding the population in the wake of an economy in tatters is now a cornerstone of the city’s food sustainability initiative. This shows that the Governor’s call is a much needed step in the right direction.

Also, the government has commenced Phase II of the AK Cares Programme. Beneficiaries across the 31 LGAs would get farm implements, seedlings, poultry birds or fish juveniles and adequate training.

The Ministry of Agriculture is also being galvanized to distribute improved seedlings and support agriculture cooperatives to help increase their productivity. And the Ibom FADAMA Microfinance Bank has been restructured in line with the present realities.

That is not all, the Governor who takes the welfare of the citizens seriously also signed the Akwa Ibom State Agricultural Loans Law (Amendment) Bill, a private member bill sponsored by Hon. Mfon Idung. The law has increased the amount to be granted as loans to individual farmers, corporate entities and cooperative societies  and would enable them expand their operations, embrace modern farming techniques, boost productivity and ultimately, drive economic transformation.

 

It is worth mentioning also that Governor Eno’s people-centred intervention strategy also includes a rejuvenation of the rural communities through construction of rural roads and provision of key amenities. This idea is well captured in R (Rural Development) of the ARISE Agenda. The nexus between rural development and agriculture are as inseparable as a set of conjoined twins!

This school of thought concerning the importance of rural development as a way of boosting agriculture is also held by former Agriculture & Rural Development Minister and current President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina.

He expressed these sentiments most succinctly while delivering his acceptance speech on his conferment with the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership in Lagos recently.

According to him “Nigeria must completely transform its rural economies to ensure food security for all. A better Africa must start with the transformation of rural economies. That is because some 70% of the population live there. Rural poverty is extremely high. At the heart of transforming rural economies is agriculture, the main source of livelihoods.

“As a young student who attended high school in the village, I witnessed the high correlation of agricultural performance with education. “It was common then to hear the phrase “Agbe lo ba” . (farmers are kings), uttered with great pride

“The transformation of rural economies must therefore be structural, systemic, strategic and comprehensive. Doing so, means agriculture must be turned into a wealth creating sector. Sound public policies transform the lives of people”.

No one can dispute the need for sound policies as enunciated by Dr. Adeshina and this is reason as an ardent advocate of agribusiness and with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 in mind, the Governor’s earliest move in the agricultural sector on assumption of office was to sign an MOU with Songhai Farms for the development of Ibom Model Farms.

 

This long-term partnership is aimed at driving a technologically-driven agricultural revolution that will boost food production, tourism, youth development, knowledge transfer and job creation.

 

While construction has already begun at the first farm located in Nsit Ubium LGA (others will spring up when LGAs make land available), the Governor has shown his seriousness for this project by sponsoring some youths on training programmes in preparation for the Farm’s take off.

With all hands already on deck and machinery put in motion to operationalize the multi-layered approach initiated by the Gov. Umo Eno-led administration, the indigenes of Akwa Ibom State are soon going to heave a sigh of relief. Not only would the issue of high cost of foodstuff be history but food sufficiency would become the new normal in the state.

 

 

.Effiong, a journalist, is Senior Special Assistant (Lagos Liaison) to Governor Umo Eno

 

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Health Challenge: King Charles May Relinquish Throne to Prince William

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Prince William and Kate Middleton are said to be secretly preparing for wearing the crowns as King Charles has reportedly decided to leave the throne for his eldest son amid worsening health challenge.

The Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, is ‘quietly preparing’ to become the new king as the monarch’s increasingly ailing condition is causing huge alarm inside the Palace, according to a news report.

The King is being asked to delegate more responsibility to Prince William, the local media reported.

“William is just as worried about his father and wants to take as much pressure off him as he can. Kate’s still being eased in, but she’s made it clear she’s keen to step up as much as possible,” according to the insider.

“It’s clear to everyone that William and Kate are quietly preparing to be king and queen themselves, and it’s only a matter of time before Charles formally hands it all over.”

“He’s already started the process and is delegating a lot more, which is why you’re seeing William’s schedule getting a lot busier.”

The Palace insider claimed: “Queen Camilla is convinced Charles is a workaholic and she’s pushing him to slow down and focus on his health.”

King Charles, who had been put on light duty following the diagnosis, has returned to his royal engagements and in September.

Queen Camilla reportedly said her husband “is doing very well,” while attending the opening of the new state-of-the-art Dyson Cancer Center at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, England.

While the King and Queen are putting on a brave face, a second insider previously told the outlet things may be more grim behind the scenes, adding: “The palace is giving the impression that Charles is on the mend, but he’s still very sick.”

William has been slowly stepping up and preparing himself to replace dad, even as Princess Kate recovers from cancer too as she announced on September 9 that she has completed preventative chemotherapy.

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PDP Has Tolerated Wike for Too Long, Says Party’s Ex-Auditor Nnaji

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A former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP,) Barr Ray Nnaji, has warned that the party has tolerated the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for too long.

Nnaji stated this during a media interview, while offering his view on the crisis plaguing the party.

This comes amid the challenge from Wike daring any governor or leader of the PDP to publicly call him a mole.

The minister threw the challenge when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

He had previously dared State governors elected under the platform of the PDP over his threat that he will put fire in their states.

Wike said he had no apology to anybody, insisting that heaven will not fall.

However, lamenting on what has become of the party, the former auditor stated that no right member of the PDP will commend what’s happening in the party, saying he doesn’t see Wike being in APC and the PDP at the same time.

Nnaji also said that the PDP wasted time in replacing its former National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, insisting that the vacuum created room for the crisis.

He said: “No right member of the PDP will commend what’s happening in the party.

“I don’t see Wike being in APC and the PDP at the same time. It’s the soul of Rivers State they are pursuing for the purposes of 2027.

“You know quite well that Wike used his power as a former governor to make sure that APC was assisted to come to power, that was why he was compensated with a ministerial appointment.

“He (Wike) wanted to pull the structure he had then into the APC. That explains why the APC dissolved its Rivers state executives, which prompted the members to go to the court.

“Wike himself, and those 25 State House of Assembly members who defected, when they found out that others weren’t following them, the problem in the state started.

“The main fact is that the acting Chairman failed to do what he ought to do. It cannot be blamed on the acting Chairman alone, it should be blamed on the Party entirely because the constitution is very clear.

“When a vacancy exists, what do you do? Of course, the constitution provided answers to all those things, but they failed to do it.

“Iyorchia Ayu was from North Central, when he left the position, Damagun came just to fill the gap.

“The party shouldn’t have wasted time in replacing Iyorchia Ayu. The party would have replaced Ayu with another person from that zone. If that would have been done, I don’t think we would have entered into this crisis.

“I don’t think it is as difficult with the party as it was with Amodu Sheriff, which ended up in the Supreme Court before the 2019 election.

“I still believe that the party will still come out of it, even though they didn’t do what they ought to have done early enough.”

On setting up a reconciliation committee, Nnaji had this to say: “I don’t know who they are reconciling with. Is it Wike or the governor?

“From the look of things, the government is not ready to play ball, when Wike wants the structure. And if you give Wike the structure, the governor becomes a follower of Wike.

“That is not what the governor wants, he’s supposed to be the leader of the party in the State and take charge.

“Wike, seeing what’s happening, believes he has done his parallel congress and produced a structure. Of course, the governor has his own structure, who the national picks will be another issue.

“I learnt Wike was invited to the disciplinary committee, I don’t know the outcome of the invitation but they waited too long to allow Wike to this point.

“He was not part of the formation of the party but he’s the most beneficiary of the PDP. Going ahead to seek the destruction of the party he has benefited a lot from doesn’t augur well for him, especially in the future.

“If he destroys PDP, who’s sure the APC will be a comfortable place for him to stay?

“I don’t think he’s thinking from that angle. It is his personal interest that matters most for him now.

“The PDP has to make sure it puts its house in order to see if it can liberate the country come 2027.”

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Dele Momodu Makes Case for Osun As a Strong Investment Destination

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By Eric Elezuo

Notable media entrepreneur and Chairman, Ovation Media Group, Aare Dele Momodu, has declared Osun State as a strong investment destination, with evidential circumstances that set it apart among a comity of states.

The veteran journalist made the revelation at the just concluded Osun Industrial Investment Summit, held in Osogbo, the state capital, where he was the guest speaker.

He eulogised the state as the cradle of the Yoruba nation as well as the heartland of South Western Nigeria, blessed economically and academically amongst other natural and developmental advantages.

Momodu further informed that the state “possesses a rich investment landscape across the sectors. From agricultural to mining processing to digital economy, the state of the living spring confronts potential investors with enticing possibilities. From the richly, European like Owalla dam for inland beach resorts to the mesmerizing Erin Ijesa waterfalls to the multi-billion dollar cultural assets, there is no better place to invest than Osun.”

Here’s a text of his full speech at the event, which had the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and other notable state officials in attendance.

“Osun State is the cradle of Yoruba nation, the heartland of South Western Nigeria. This is the cultural capital of highly developed Yoruba people with descendants in South and North America;

“Osun State is an economically and educationally rich state, boasting of huge solid mineral resources, highly literate  population, heavy multiple University presences, varied agricultural potentials and a billion dollar developing cultural industry;

“Osun is an unusually peaceful state within a turbulent but extremely great nation, a state that accepts non-indigene with open arms and support non-native business ventures and activities with native hospitality and patronage;

“Osun is a natural tech hub of the Federation as its sons and daughters dominate the tech innovation world and with the state already building a digital economy to tap into the acknowledged talents of young Osun tech enthusiasts;

“We are all gathered here to drum up support for inflow of investment into a state with an ambitious Governor, a widely traveled leader and a 21st century manager who is positioning the state as investors’ first choice within the comity of states;

“My pitching Osun today is not out of mere filial affiliation. I am Osun and Osun is me. But it is more than that. The case for Osun as an investment destination is strong and evidence based;

“The state possesses a rich investment landscape across the sectors. From agricultural to mining processing to digital economy, the state of the living spring confronts potential investors with enticing possibilities. From the richly, European like Owalla dam for inland beach resorts to the mesmerizing Erin Ijesa waterfalls to the multi-billion dollar cultural assets, there is no better place to invest that Osun;

“Beyond the natural investment potentials, I review trade logistics and I am confronted with appealing reality. One is the national railway line that traversed the heartland of the state. Then I saw the government masterplan for an international airport with a cargo terminal integrated alongside a free trade zone;

“Free trade zone? Yes. Airport of international standard?  Yes. Railway link directly to Apapa port in Lagos? Yes. Trade logistics and connectivity are top notch;

“What of internal infrastructure? Osun as a highly urbanized city is implementing a multi-sectoral , multi-billion naira infra upgrade across health, education, roads , water and environmental sectors. The major towns are construction sites alongside huge construction ongoing across the local governments to enhance rural – urban connectivity;

“As an investor, the destination is not ripe by possessing all the above. There must be something else which can actually tip the balance of decision making;

“Are there legal frameworks? Are there policy frameworks for the various sectors?

“Again, Osun beats all limitations with the state Governor running a battle of policy coverage for the state economy. From November 2022 to date, my investigation showed that the state has successfully established state policies covering several critical sectors;

“Aside the state Industrial Development Policy, Osun now has a state ICT policy, State Tech Innovation Policy, State Electricity Market policy, State Transport policy, State Mining policy among others;

“Investors thus have nothing to worry about in the area of policy frameworks. In many cases, the policies are being transformed into actual state legislations. This deepens assurance frameworks for investors;

“One of the biggest unique selling points for the state aside from all the above rare features is the Adeleke family, a dynasty with entrenched interest in the national economy and the entertainment world. The Governor and his family are in reality one of the biggest insurance and magnet for investors;

“To the diaspora population,  my charge is to make hay while the sun shines. Rush to Osun to take a piece of the pie;

“To the global investment community, Osun is a goldmine that has more than gold. As a globally traveled serial entrepreneur myself, Osun represents the first choice. No investor will regret putting his money into such a potentially buoyant state economy.

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