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Monday 03, November 2018, 01.00PM /Oando
“Unless Africa uses modern technologies, our farmers output will remain
low and we will remain dependent on others to feed us.” These were the words
of Akinwunmi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank,
underscoring the importance and potential of the agricultural sector in
sustaining the people and the African economy. His statement reinforces
the fact that investments in agriculture are the best weapons against hunger
and poverty, translating to an improvement in the lives of millions of people.
The Nigerian Government’s focus on diversifying the
economy has led to an increased interest and elevation of the agricultural
sector. Against this backdrop Oando and its Joint Venture (JV)
Partners, Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC)
and the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), have
invested in improving agricultural practices in Nigeria. Oando and its JV Partners, on Saturday the 1st of December, held the 22nd edition of its
annual Green River Project (GRP) / Farmers Day celebration in
Igbo-gene Bayelsa State. In addition to creating the much needed
awareness on the importance of agriculture in spearheading the socio-economic
development and economic diversification of the country, particularly in the
Niger Delta, the initiative aims to make agriculture an attractive and
accessible sector to the youth and women through the use of modern
farming techniques, formation of cooperative societies and access to
micro-credit schemes and provision of the necessary support and tools.
The Farmers Day initiative, which has
recorded many successes;at the start took a lot of convincing to get the
farmers acceptance of the project. Communities had hitherto
blamed oil exploration activities for their poor harvest which in truth was as
a result of poor farming techniques and seedlings. Today the initiative’s
success story is further validation that oil and agriculture can
co-exist harmoniously and boost the country’s growth if given
the requisite attention both by the Government and the private sector.
To date Oando and its JV Partners have
distributed over 2,711,536 fish fingerlings, 37,669 cassava bundles,
200,563 plantain suckers, 400,051 maize seeds and 87,003 seed yam to
the GRP farmers. In 2017 they trained over 5000 women and youth in
various vocational skills and 275 youth in Agro skills
acquisition, following its mantra to leave a lasting positive impact on
its host communities.
Speaking on the need to awaken to the potential of the
agricultural sector, President Muhammadu Buhari, through a video
recording played at the event said: “Agriculture
is the only way we can feed ourselves in a sustainable manner. Active
participation in agriculture is our patriotic duty. It will create millions of
jobs in the future. We cannot keep feeding ourselves with imported food when
God has blessed us with natural resources, we cannot continue to
create jobs abroad at the expense of young, energetic, willing and able
youth.” He further
encouraged farmers who experienced a bad harvest as a result of the floods. He
said: “… don’t be dispirited, strive
through the challenges. There is a compensation package for all affected
farmers and fishermen. I want to assure all affected farmers we will help them.
We the Government are with you.”
To support the agricultural sector, the
Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) guaranteed a total of N1,422.4 million to 12,524
farmers under the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) in the
third quarter of 2018.According to the CBN’s third quarter report, “The amount represented an increase of 53.1% and 6.5% above
the levels in the preceding quarter and the corresponding period of 2017,
respectively.” The report
went on to state that “Analysis by
state showed that 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory benefited from
the Scheme with the highest and lowest sums of N210.8 million (14.8%) and
N0.9 million (0.1%) guaranteed to Adamawa and Bayelsa states,
respectively.” Hence the
onus lies on private companies in states such as Bayelsa that
received the least amount to boost the agricultural sector.
Through initiatives such as the Farmers Day
celebration it is evident that Oando and its JV
partners acknowledge the untiring efforts shown by farmers in
providing sustenance for the country’s ever-growing population, providing raw
materials to the nation’s industries, and contributing substantially to the
nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
To further motivate farmers to strive beyond their
comfort zone and embrace farming as a means of livelihood,
sustenance as well as boost economic performance, the JV issued
awards to farmers in various categories such as overall best farmer
land; overall best farmer swamp; overall best school; overall best youth
cooperative society land area; overall best women cooperative society and the
NAOC GRP farmer of the year which was bagged by Dr. Victor Akujuro. The
ceremony was capped by performances from cultural dance groups;
popular artiste, Duncan Mighty, and a tour of the GRP facility to see food
stuffs grown and sold by the farmers.
Speaking at the event, the
Chief Operating Officer, Oando Energy Resources, Dr. Ainojie ‘Alex' Irune said:
“We have built this initiative to outlive our generation. My hope is that
future generations will experience the growth of this endeavour and the value
it brings. The nation has a lot to learn from this initiative; in how you can
take something small and transform it through unity and collaboration into
something this successful and on such a grand scale. The onus lies on us as
private sector partners and you to take advantage of this unique opportunity
and propel your state to become an agro-export state.”
Mr. Lorenzo Fiorillo, Vice Chairman/Managing
Director NAOC highlighted the future plans of the Joint Venture for the Green
River Project which includes proposed agro-skills acquisition training for 350
youths in 2019; a planned empowerment and enhancement of businesses for 945
youth; extension of GRP activities to include four more communities
in Bayelsa state and provision of relief materials to flood victims
through the Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers and Imo states Government. He further
explained that the theme of this year’s event was
carefully selected because of the JV’s numerous projects geared
towards empowering the youths in particular and the people of the Niger Delta
in general.
Calling on more youth participation in future
Farmers Day celebrations, Mrs Edina Osifo, a
representative from NAPIMS said, “NAPIMS
will continue support this venture to make it sustainable. Youths make the best
of this initiative. It would be a pleasure to see a youth crowned the best
overall farmer in 2019. I also call on women to get more involved.”
In his vote of thanks, the COO of Oando Energy
Resources Dr. Irune said: “Over 20 years ago someone decided that this was a good
idea. Came together, pooled the resources, supported by people that
aren't present here today and everyone in this place to deliver what
we are experiencing today. Without that vision we would not be here
today. So I want to thank the NAOC Joint Venture and the FGN
for their commitment in making this a reality today. We have a
lot of work to do and with the support we have from all our
stakeholders especially the farmers, we see a bright future ahead of us.”
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