SHONGA, Nigeria (AFP) - A group of white farmers whose farms were seized by the government in Zimbabwe were settling in at the weekend to a very different environment, building homes and planting crops in Nigeria. ADVERTISEMENT
The farmers are erecting houses at Shonga, some 110 kilometres (70 miles) north of Ilorin, the capital of central Nigerian state of Kwara, where local villagers have welcomed and hailed them as saviours.
In 2000, white farmers who owned some 70 percent of the most fertile land in Zimbabwe were ejected to make way for landless black majority by the government of President Robert Mugabe.
"I have no regrets coming to Nigeria. The people are wonderful. I want to live and remain here," Piet du Toit, a 52-year-old Zimbabwean white farmer told AFP at the weekend, as he planted maize and soyabeans on part of the 15,000 hectares of land leased to 13 farmers by the government.
"This is a country that wants me. My country does not want me. They sent me away in the name of giving land to the blacks," lamented du Toit.
"We have got residence and work permits. We have even applied for Nigerian citizenship. We want to naturalise. We know the process is cumbersome, but we are getting there," he added as he adjusted his bowler hat.
Allan Jack, the leader of the group of 13 farmers, agrees. "Nigeria is a great country. The villagers are accommodating and cordial. We no longer see ourselves as Zimbabweans. We have made this place our home."
He said they have built four three bed-room bungalows near the farmland which they have been granted on 25-year leases.
"This house is one of the four we have constructed. We are planning to build more to provide accommodation for members of our family," he said pointing to one of the buildings, built with cement blocks and roofed with corrugated iron sheets.
The houses have basic facilities, including television sets and good furniture. Power is provided by generators, for lack of a public supply.
Graham Hatty, 67, said he had invited his family to join him from Zimbabwe.
"It is wonderful to be given this kind of opportunity. My wife and children will soon relocate to Nigeria to be part of the venture," he said.
"I am sure they will find this place interesting. The villagers are fantastic. Each time I drive around, the children come out to hug me. It is like magic," he said after alighting from his tractor which he drove to the applause of people nearby.
Hatty said his only regrets were the reports of the food crisis in his country. "Mugabe has destabilised the country. His evil policy has caused starvation. Thousands are dying of hunger. He has turned Zimbabwe into a beggar-nation where the people now get handouts from international aid agencies".
"Mugabe can keep Zimbabwe since he said it belongs to him and his people alone. I am comfortable here and I would like to become a Nigerian," he said.
Shonga villagers, for their part, expresssed delight at the presence of the Zimbabweans.
"The Shonga emirate has 17 communities. The Zimbabwean farmers are free to choose any community of their choice. They are welcome," community leader Alhaji Audu Lonchita told AFP.
"The farmers are our saviours. They have brought development to our communities. They have provided jobs to our people. We thank them and the governor," he said.
"Their presence has opened up our villages. Shonga has become like a Mecca. Visitors flock here to see what is going on. It is a great moment for us as a people," he said.
"If Mugabe does not want them, we want them. They have the skills and expertise to bring about an agricultural revolution in our country. They are most welcome," villager Alhassan Kindu Dumagi told AFP.
"The Zimbabweans have our support. We will assist them to transform Nigeria as a model of development in Africa. They have become part of us," he added.
___________________ Biafra is inevitable.Illegitimis nil carborundum. Posts: 760 | From: europe | Registered: Jan 2005
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Ndi abu gwala obiara kara. Can any of you remember that grass in Igbo land called achara independence or Obiara kara. That grass came to Igbo land around 1960 immediately after Nigeria independence and eventually drove Uria njela away. Many of you may ask what is uria njela. Those you who ever played soccer on clay ground and may be broke or scratch you body or feet or any party of your skin from playing. You don't need definition of Uria njela, because chances are that it was the only first aid you needed before you went back to continue with your game. For those of you whom their parents or in my case grandparents used to send to go and collect grass for the family's goats and ship you know what I am talking about.
Today achara independent have drove uria njela away from many farmland. We also used to cut uria njela as campos for school assignments.
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What the heck are you babling about Mr. Biafra? I told you to stop writing this Imo dialect that nobody umderstands. What in the name of God is meaning of this Ndi abu gwala obiara kara. or this uria njela.
___________________ Feel me? Ofu onye ana asi unu abia go. - Ednut Igbo-American . www.airamericaradio.com visit her. Posts: 2447 | From: Mother Earth | Registered: Mar 2001
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I think I understand the white Zimbabwe farmers to be Obiara kara or achara independence poised to drive away the indegenous Uria njela ( local farmers). I think Biafra prefered to speak in parables.
___________________ Biafra is inevitable.Illegitimis nil carborundum. Posts: 760 | From: europe | Registered: Jan 2005
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Ednut have stayed away too long he doesn't understand Igbo parables.
Ndi Igbo si ilulu bu nmanu eje eri okwu. Ednut since Ochiwar have to translate the parables for you. you need to go and check with your dad to see whether he is still owing your maternal home some dowries.
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Do we really need foreigners to develop despite all our GOD given talents?. May be, one day our hands will be untied by the powerful grip of Nigeria. Read and enjoy the real Igbo expertise at work:
'The Aba Plant Will Operate Completely Independent Of NEPA'
Between Aba, the Enyimba City and Nnewi in Anambra State, a study once revealed, there are about 6,000 small-scale producers. Together, they constitute the soul of the widely admired eastern industry, built on individual effort and small-scale holdings. Such producers range from shoemakers, fashion designers, furniture makers, metal fabricators, motor/motorcycle/bicycle spare parts manufactures, water purifiers and bottlers, among others.
While Aba has a preponderance of shoe and clothes makers, Nnewi leads in the manufacture of spares. Both, however, lack the infrastructure to sustain the operations of their hardworking, never-say-die small-holder producers. But comparatively, that is, in terms of infrastructure, Aba has a little edge.
Long before Gas Links began to pipe industrial gas to the industrial estates in Ikeja and Isolo in Lagos, the Okpara Administration in the then Eastern Region had got Shell Petroleum to build a gas pipeline to the industrial yard of Osisioma and environs in the Enyimba City. That formed part of the infrastructure that was to make eastern Nigeria the fastest growing economy in the world as at 1963. But then the war came and, as they say, everything went with the wind.
However, the pipeline from Shell Producing's major oil/gas fields in the Niger Delta is still intact and that is part of the attraction for Professor Bart Nnaji's Geometric Power Ltd, an electric power company that is building a 105MW model power plant in Aba for the use of industries and commercial/domestic consumers in the Enyimba City.
Nnaji, a professor of Industrial Engineering and Robotics has a track record in power generation in Nigeria. His debut in this sector was in the 15 MW Abuja Power Project built by Geometric Power Renatech Ltd., a special purpose vehicle (spv), of which he was chairman. The SPV provided the national headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aso Rock, the International Conference Centre and other places with uninterrupted electricity till last March when the project ended.
In this interview conducted shortly after the first Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) meeting of stakeholders in the Aba Power Project last Saturday in Aba, Abia State, Nnaji, a former Secretary of Science and Technology, speaks on the significance of the project for the country's quest for stable power supply.
BY FELIX ABUGU
Geometric Power Ltd., of which you are chairman is building an independent thermal plant in Aba, Abia State. How did it all come about?
The inspiration to establish an independent Power plant for Aba came to me when we were setting up the Abuja Power Plant. I began to think that really this country could not meet its power needs and that there was a need to have a model not driven purely by the government. This is because government cannot possibly find the money. Such a model should be driven by private investment. But that model has to be such that it should be attractive to the private sector, the consumer and all the people who would be involved in the project.
I began to think of supplying directly to consumers. This would entail being able to reachthe consumers directly with power supply. It would also entail collecting revenue directly from them. Aba became the place that made a lot of sense to me.
Why did you choose Aba?
There were two critical elements. One is the source of fuel which is gas in this case. Aba happens to be a place with gas supply. The type of power consumers available in the city was the second element. Of course, you know that Aba has a lot of industries. It also has the industrial entrepreneurs that really want to expand and advance their businesses. We looked at Aba as a possible place for economic development of that whole area. We believe that by having the power infrastructure in place, it would stimulate fundamental development in the whole area.
What steps did you take to actualise this dream?
The first step we took actually brought us face to face with a major obstacle. I first thought of an ideal situation. But to move from nothing to achieve that ideal situation placed obstacles on the way. The first major obstacle at the beginning was the National Electric Power Authority, which was formerly a monopoly in the power sector. Because it was a monopoly, as a private investor, you are barred by law from generating your own power supply and sell to the public. You needed to have special permission to do it especially since the power reform law was gradually
being developed. We envisioned that by the time we start with construction work at the site, the power reform law would have been passed into law by the National Assembly.
This is essentially what has happened, thereby allowing independent power producers to establish their own power plants and supply power to eligible customers. So we applied to the Federal Government and we were granted that permission to build a power plant and supply electricity directly to the consumers being the industries, residential homes and commercial outfits in the city.
What do you intend to do after completing the Aba project. Will you go the whole hog...?
Well, there are possibilities for expansion. You can predict that a number of industries would begin to move down to Aba because you now have nearly 100 percent uninterrupted power supply. We anticipate an expansion in terms of industries, residential homes and commercial outfits because of stable power. So we expect that we would expand. Secondly, Geometric Power itself is fundamentally a power plant developer. So we anticipate that we should be able to go to some other places to build power plants provided that these two basic elements that I
talked about are there. We could also establish a power plant anywhere in the country that has potential eligible consumers but without the availability of gas provided we could be permitted to bring the gas
pipeline there.
In what sense is the Aba Power project a model?
It is a model for the entire country. In fact, we are already getting a lot of support from the World Bank. The world bank being a development bank wants to copy what we are doing for other places. Actually it is the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which is the private sector arm of the World bank that is interested in this project. They want to use this project as a way of developing the power sector in developing countries. They are using us as a model for the rest of the developing world.
When you have a model, you want to see whether it would work or not, and whether there are areas that could be fine-tuned to ensure the project is actualised. You can imagine that Kaduna could be taken over by a power company that
could build a power plant to supply to the city. Fundamentally, what consumers want is reliable high
quality power in the end, especially if the government
is not providing the money. Under the present arrangement, what is also needed is a reliable power supply with cost that would be regulated by the government.
I mean, is it model in terms of the concept or in terms of the kind of plant and equipment that is going to be put in place, or both?
No, it is not a model in terms of the plant and equipment. It is a model in terms of the structure of how plant delivers power to the people, especially in Nigeria where we have had a monopoly. We are talking about having some private transmission and distribution lines going directly to the industries. That is a new model because we have to build the transmission and distribution lines ourselves. We
would have to build sub-stations ourselves. We are
also going to lease transmission facilities from NEPA;
that is new and very different. So in terms of model
that is the model we are talking about.
How would you harmonise your operations with
those of NEPA, in terms of the kind of customers that are your main target?
Customers who are hooked on to our power supply
would be taken out of NEPA supply. NEPA would no
longer operate within the zone where we are operating.
This is another reason why it is a model because it is
not going to be part of the national grid. An important part of this model is to fence off an area and give it to a company to run on a concession arrangement basis. Because you are taking out an area that could have relied on power from the national grid, you are essentially providing more power from NEPA, to the rest of the population in the country. Imagine having Lagos, Port-Harcourt and others concessioned to private power companies, then you would have more power supplied to the rest of the population in the country. This would enhance stable power supply in the country.
What is the difference between what you did at Abuja, what the Rivers or Akwa Ibom State Government is reported to be doing and what you are presently doing?
What we did at Abuja, is closer to what the Rivers State Government is doing. But what we are doing now is quite different from what the Rivers State Government is doing in the sense that the state government is not taking over either the whole Rivers State or Port-Harcourt for the purpose of supplying power. The management of that is quite tremendous especially in the area of distribution. It is not really the power plant. The power plant is easier to deal with. But dealing with distribution of power requires tremendous management. And that is where NEPA has also failed. Even the distribution lines have to be refurbished. Some of them are 6.6 KVA lines for stability of power but we need 11 KVA lines for stability of power. Other problems that could occur in the distribution of power include power theft and even sabotage by staff, which can happen when the government is operating something.
Don't you think getting involved in generation, transmission and distribution would be too cumbersome for your company alone to handle?
I want you to consider a much more miniaturised version of electric power supply which is the generator in your house. When you have a generator in your house, you are involved in generation, transmission and distribution. An expanded version of it is the power we would generate for the city. But if we decide to take on the whole country it would then become too cumbersome for us. You need proper management for that. No, it is not a problem to provide power for just a city. It could become a problem if you have a much larger area to cover.
What about the human resources you need to
embark on this project?
We already have some of the personnel required.
But they need to be further trained in efficient management. But we are really going to operate the power plant itself on operational maintenance contract. So, we are going to have an operational maintenance company that would also install the equipment. For distribution, we are also going to get
people who have a lot of expertise in management of distribution facilities to work with us at the beginning. Then ultimately we are going to learn. We have two companies involved in this project. One is Geometric Power Ltd, which would be the power producer and Aba Power Ltd., which would be the power distributor. Aba Power Ltd. would be managed by a Managing Director that would run the outfit based on the experience that company had in running distribution facilities in developing countries.
Can you expatiate on the support you are getting from the World Bank for this project?
Yes, we have a lot of support in the sense that the syndicator of our funding is the IFC. They co-supported us in bringing in the foreign company that did the technical, commercial and environmental due diligence on our project. They actually paid the company that did the financial and legal due diligence on the project. These are very critical areas in developing a project of this nature.
Furthermore, they are advising the government to look
at what we are doing to facilitate how power distribution could be improved in the whole of Nigeria. Again that is another sense in which this project is a model.
How would you describe the EIA meeting in Aba over the project?
It showed me that the people are enthusiastic about the project. Local government chairmen in Aba area, Ezes, academics, industrialists, youth groups, all categories of people, were unanimous in their approval of the project. They are convinced that we are prepared to be a socially responsible company, as indeed we are, because part of our plan is also to try and raise manpower within the locality to work for the company. We have taken note of the suggestions that various experts at the meeting made and will take steps to rectify any areas of defect in our EIA report. But overall, I am satisfied that the communities where the plant will be located see it as a beneficial investment by Geometric Power.
For Aba Industries, Light At End Of Tunnel
By C.Don Adinuba ABA, the leading commercial city in Abia State, is one of the leading manufacturing centres in Nigeria. It also shares with Nnewi in Anambra State the distinction of being the home of indigenous technology. Aba has, alas, been for some years in a state of arrested development. The principal reason: poor electricity. Some sections of the city do not have electricity for days; and when power is eventually restored, the voltage is too insufficient to power a four feet fluorescent tube.
" Inadequate electricity is one of the most critical problems we have been experiencing", complains Onwuka Kalu, chairman of the Onwuka Hi- Tek Industries Plc which produces vehicle and industrial machine parts and tools as well as nails. "In the last one year, we have spent over 20 million naira on a new set of generators to revive production. Still, we produce only skeletal services largely because of energy to power our heavy duty machines".
The good news is that there is now light at the end of the tunnel. Bart Nnaji, one of the world's leading authorities in industrial engineering, is now working assiduously to end the energy crisis by building a 105 megawatt power generating station in Aba at over 100 million dollars. "As a committed campaigner for indigenous technology, one is appalled at the power situation in Aba. Instead of just criticizing the government relentlessly, I took up the gauntlet as an engineer and got cracking. The government is not in any way involved in this project. All I wanted-which is what I have got-- was the permission to build an independent power station to serve the promising industries; and now commercial concerns and residential houses have been added to the list.. For granting this permission, I am grateful to the president, the Ministry of Power and Steel, and the National Electric Power Authority. I am also grateful to the Abia State government for its enthusiasm, and to our host community for being very development conscious."
Nnaji has considerable experience in independent power generation business. Vice President Atiku Abubakar commissioned in December,2001, the 15 MW Abuja Emergency Power Project built by Geometric Power Renatech Ltd, a special purpose vehiclespv, of which he was the chairman. The SPV provided the national headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aso Rock, the International Conference Centre and other places with uninterrupted electricity till last March when the project ended.
Geometric Power is guaranteeing 90 per cent supply efficiency when the Aba project is completed in 2006. Why not 100 per cent guarantee? "It is technically improper for anyone in the world to make that kind of guarantee", explains the William Kepler Professor of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh on a leave of absence from the University of Massachusetts as the first black Distinguished Professor of engineering
American history and Director of the Robotics and Automation Laboratory. " Once in a while we may shut down supply for one hour to carry out scheduled maintenance. The off-takers, that is our customers, will, of course, be informed in advance. We are going to achieve 90 per cent efficiency, but we are deliberately guaranteeing the conservative 90 per cent efficiency level."
Nnaji assures that the Aba project will be world class. The three turbines are coming from General Electric, the world's greatest electric company. Each turbine has a capacity of 35 megawatts in simple cycle at the Aba ambient conditions. Shell is providing the gas, but there is a provision in the power plant for diesel in case there is a disruption in gas supply. Much of the financing is coming from the World Bank. KPMG is the financial adviser. The Paul Usoro chambers which is fast acquiring the reputation of being Nigeria's leading telecommunications and power law firm is the legal adviser. The Nigerian technical team of Geometric is led by Ben Caven widely regarded as probably NEPA's best design engineer ever. Caven was until 1999 NEPA's executive director in charge of engineering, transmission and generation.
Aba is estimated to require 90 MW|hour, with industries accounting for two thirds. But this is suppressed demand arising out of the state power utility's inefficiency. In order not to take chances with their machines and production schedules, some industries in Aba have little or nothing to do with NEPA. An example is the Nigerian Breweries Plc which relies absolutely on its own 5,000 KVA generators. Geometric will provide Aba with 105 MW right from the first year;there is provision for expansion as demand is expected to climb to 125 MW soon.
Geometric Power is building its own 33 KVA distribution line to Owerrinta, Ogbor Hill, Factory Road and Port Harcourt Road from Osisioma , where the power station will be located. "Except for Owerrinta where the industry off-takers will take power directly from the 33KV line," explains Caven, "Geometric Power will build 33|11 KV substations at Osisioma, Ogbor Hill Factory Road and Port Harcourt".
Industrial establishments in Aba will pay eight cents or 11 naira for every kilowatt per hour. A company like Nigerian Breweries currently spends 18 naira for the same amount of energy from its generators which consume 12,000 litres of diesel daily. Like the Star Paper Mill which is going to take 9MW per hour,the NB Plc has already signed a letter of intent with Geometric Power for the purchase of 3 MW/hr, though current maximum supply for its plant in Aba is 2.5 MW/hr. Said Festus Odimegwu, the brilliant, ebullient and energetic NB Plc Managing Director at the signing ceremony in Lagos: "Power supply from Geometric will translate to considerable reduction in energy cost. What is more, our generators will last longer, as they will now be used sparingly. Geometric is guaranteeing us 90 per cent supply efficiency....In other words, we shall be spending less resources on operations and maintenance."
Manufacturers in Aba could not have asked for a better present from any quarters, observes Ugochukwu Okorafor, until recently a top official of Afribank Plc. Okarafor has evaluated the project in his capacity as a leader of the Abia State Think Tank, alongside some stakeholders.
Odimegwu says the relationship between his company and Geometric Power is market-determined. "So long as Professor Nnaji and his international group provide us quality and reliable electricity at a competitive rate, we shall remain with them", he adds. He expects the relationship to last long " because of Nnaji's experience in building and running an IPP in Nigeria. He also has a reputation to protect. He is the first and only black director of the United States National Science Foundation and he heads the Centre for e-design and the engineering of new products at the University of Pittsburgh."
Odimegwu's interest in the Aba power project is not confined to the reduction of his company's production costs . A great believer in market forces, the corporate executive is excited anytime the Nigerian private sector extends its participation in the economy. He is delighted that the performance of Geometric Power will go a long way to influence the course of NEPA's privatization . "The government has no business being in business," he declares in a voice showing strong conviction about "private sector efficiency, as opposed to the corruption and politics of the public sector which reflect in the comatose condition of state-owned enterprises".
Odimegwu is certain that once Geometric Power comes on stream, manufacturing companies in Aba will start to do much better. "The improved performance," he argues, "will show in the enhanced prices of shares of the companies quoted on the stock exchange. The companies which are not yet quoted will be encouraged to go to the stock market. We really look forward to seeing the Geometric Power stock traded on the stock exchange."
Most chief executives of parastatals are known to be fiercely opposed to moves to privatize their companies or break their monopolies. So, when Nnaji applied to the Federal Government for permission to establish an IPP to sell power directly to the public, rather than sell through NEPA, some people expected NEPA authorities to forcefully kick against it. But this did not surprisingly happen. If anything, NEPA chief executive Joseph Makoju has been a strong advocate of greater private sector participation in the electricity sector. When he got to know of Geometric's application, he was practically over the moon. His reason was the imperative to meet the national target of generating 10,000 MW by 2007.
"The government cannot provide the 700 billion naira required to meet the national electricity needs", observes Kola Oni, NEPA's chief operating officer in the Lagos zone who represented the NEPA managing director at the letter of intent signing ceremony in Lagos between Nigerian Breweries and Geometric Power; Makoju could not attend in person because of the nationwide workers strike against the recent increases in prices of
petroleum products which prevented him from leaving Abuja. Power generation, according to Oni, would not have been a severe problem in Nigeria if between 1990 2003 fresh facilities were built . To ensure that the nation meets the 10, 000 MW target in the next three years, Oni wants big private organizations to follow the Geometric Power example by investing in the power sector.
Nnaji is already thinking ahead of the Aba power project. He has accepted in principle the invitations from Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in the state to build at least one big power station to supply electricity to Onitsha and Nnewi, two major commercial places in dire need of improved power supply. "I am keenly interested in helping to transform Nigeria's technological and economic landscape, beginning with the areas which most promote indigenous technology. Nigeria cannot take off industrially until the power problem is resolved substantially. There is no country I can call mine other than Nigeria."
Among the over 30 major industrial establishments in Aba which have expressed interest in subscribing to Geometric Power are Guinness, PZ, Aba Textile Mill, Glass Force, Nigerian Bottling Company, and Onwuka Hi Tek. Meanwhile, Sam Ohuabunwa, executive chairman of Neimeth Pharmaceuticals Plc, has disclosed that his company will soon open a factory in Aba in response to the establishment of a new power station dedicated to the bustling place fondly called Enyimba City.
___________________ He likened the second coming of Christ to the realisation of the Biafran dream, stating that at a time people least expect, the much sought Biafra would be a reality..Rev. Fr. Cornelius Ezeiloaku Posts: 622 | From: santiago, chile | Registered: Jan 2002
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APPARENTLY impressed with what he saw on the 15,000-hectare Kwara State Commercial Agriculture Project during his one-day working visit at the weekend, President Olusegun Obasanjo has invited leaders of the expatriate farmers pioneering the project for a meeting in Abuja.
The meeting, which holds tomorrow, will also be attended by Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State; Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Adamu Bello; Governor of Central Bank, Professor Charles Soludo and chief executives of major commercial banks in Nigeria. It is expected to discuss the problem of funding.
Before summoning the meeting, President Obasanjo enjoined the farmers to be patient and not to be discouraged by the attitude of banks to financing agriculture in Nigeria, saying the few banks that offer loans to agricultural projects do so at "suicidal interests as high as 20 per cent".
The President who inspected two of the key economic projects of Governor Saraki during the visit, praised Saraki for the innovative ways he has been addressing the economic problems of the state .
During the visit, Obasanjo visited the site of the Kwara State Commercial Agriculture Project and the new terminal building being constructed by the state government at the Ilorin International Airport.
The President said he was impressed with the level of support and encouragement that the farmers have been accorded since their arrival in Kwara State, saying for agriculture to succeed in Nigeria, government at all levels and the financial institutions must be prepared to give it heavy support.
After the departure of the President, Governor Saraki thanked the people of the state for turning out enmasse to welcome the President in Ilorin and Shonga, saying the turnout and mood of the people were overwhelming.
2003 - 2005 @ Guardian Newspapers Limited (All Rights Reserved).
Looks like Obiara kara or achara independence as Biafra would call them has come to stay. I think when I was going to Boarding school in Enugu, when we were put on manual labour or detention, that was the one we used to call "stuborn grass"...
___________________ Biafra is inevitable.Illegitimis nil carborundum. Posts: 760 | From: europe | Registered: Jan 2005
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Obasanjo Wants More States in White Farmers’ Deal From Josephine Lohor in Abuja, 08.29.2005 Thisdayonline
President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked the Kwara State government to take another look at the framework of the deal it signed with commercial farmers from Zimbabwe, so that possibly 12 more states could start such. The president said this yesterday during a meeting he had at the State House with a delegation from Kwara State, which included Deputy Governor, Chief Joel Ogundeji, Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mustapha Mashood and some Zimbabwean farmers. Obasanjo had last week visited the state to see the extent of commercial farming that had taken place on the 15,000 hectare agricultural project being handled by the farmers. He pledged the commitment of the Federal Government to assist the farmers overcome initial financial and infrastructural difficulties. Giving further insight into the idea of other states joining the programme, Mashood while speaking with news men after the meeting with the president, said we had very fruitful discussions and basically we highlighted some areas for which the farmers could collaborate more with Nigeria. Mr. President is of the view that this project should extend beyond Kwara. That we should not just limit it to Kwara. “And we actually bought the idea and we are working towards a framework by which we could look into the Memorandum of Understanding and perfect the framework so as to see how at least 12 more states could actually start this commercial farming.” According to him, “one of the areas discussed with the president is wealth creation, extension services where our local farmers will be able to benefit and have what we call transfer of skills from this expertise and in the area of processing. When we harvest our produce, what is the next thing to be done? We are looking at the area whereby most people can collaborate with Nigerians in this area. There is also the issue of irrigation which is one area where Nigeria has not done well.” Speaking on the role that Kwara State was expected to play as facilitator of the commercial farming initiative, Mashood said “as you can see, we are the model. This is something that we initiated and the president is of the view that for the mere fact that we have taken the bull by the horn, it is important that we are used as one of the models. “The programme now is to collaborate and see how we can work together with other ministries of agriculture, then we look into the possibility of bringing these states together to come to Kwara and see what we have done, meet with these farmers to see how Nigeria can really move forward.”
___________________ Biafra is inevitable.Illegitimis nil carborundum. Posts: 760 | From: europe | Registered: Jan 2005
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