By Samuel Ebo Adikwu
Agricultural sector remains the bedrock of development of the nation in spite of the superiority of the oil sector in its contribution to the economy. The importance of agriculture to the economic rejuvenation of the country cannot be overlooked.
Agricultural production has been playing a tremendous role in the socio – economic development of the nation.
It contributes to the provision of food for our ever growing population; provides the greatest avenue for employment; ensures forex earnings from plantation crops, such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, cashew etc; provides raw materials for domestic industries, and generates income for those involved in the profession and the provision of markets for industrial goods.
However, these noble goals are not easily achieved due to numerous impending factors.Nigeria, though blessed with abundant arable land and a population which is primarily agrarian, still lags behind in its ability to grow enough food to meet the needs of its expanding population. Nigeria, which is the largest country in Africa, is threatened by serious food shortages that are fueling criminality in the land.
Many of the heinous crimes being perpetrated in our society nowadays are because of hunger, starvation and penury. So many persons now engage in one form of societal malady or the other just to have food on their table. Food crisis, poverty, corruption and all types of unscrupulous activities co-exist in the same tent.
The food crisis also has effects on health as there can be no drug absorption into the human system without adequate food intake.
That is why most drugs are taken after food. As a result of food shortage, mortality rates from anaemia and malnutrition, especially in infants, is colossal. Anaemia has become an endemic problem in Nigeria, especially in the troubled North-eastern part of the country. Good food is critical for the proper growth and development of infants. Some ailments like ulcerative colitis become excruciating due to poor feeding. Every creation needs food for sustenance. The basis physiological needs of human beings are food, clothing and shelter, according to Abraham Maslow’s theory of needs. Subsequently, food production should not be kept in a vehicle that moves on a slow lane.
The inability of the country to feed its population today is mostly due to the failure to channel substantial capital (human and material) to the agricultural sector. It could also be a result of lack of basic training on modern agricultural techniques for peasants, who constitute 80 per cent of agricultural production in the country.
The deplorable state of the rural areas, which lack basic amenities like potable water, comprehensive primary health care system and accessible roads, also makes crop production in the rural areas highly unattractive.
Poor storage facilities, inefficient post-harvest management, crude implements used for tillage, ineffective extension services, professional stigmatisation, uncaring attitude of political leaders and untimely implementation of agricultural policies, have all compounded the problems of the agricultural sector. Nigeria’s agricultural sector is now comatose and being managed in an intensive care unit (ICU).
Over the years, several laudable policies, such as Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), Green Revolution, were formulated, but they failed to have an impact on the economy. They later went down the drain.
The oil sector has, for many years, been the avenue the government used to meet its economic objectives. Then it was really the great-days of oil boom. Now it’s the dawn of a new era. Oil boom is now oil doom and the country is facing economic recession with hardship everywhere. It is no longer debatable that Nigeria needs other sources of revenue to cushion the effects of falling oil prices. Agriculture is now the stone that was rejected by the builders, but has now become the corner stone. Nigeria has decided to refocus, re-strategise and take a giant leap towards diversification of sources of revenue and the searchlight is beaming on agriculture and solid minerals.
The patriot saddled with the responsibility of spinning the agricultural sector to greater heights is Chief Innocent Audu Ogbeh, the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. He is a fearless tactician who is steadfast in policy making and determined to achieve good results at all times. Unarguably, he is a good administrator and an incorruptible leader with a good conscience that we can expect to do his best for the nation. He has the responsibility to develop the agric sector as an alternative to the oil sector.
I read with keen interest on the pages of newspapers, and watched on my television, the new road map of the Federal Government on agriculture tagged “Green alternative” and I said here they go again. Unequivocally, the road map seems promising, unblemished and impeccably formulated but how feasible is its implementation?
Rhetorically, I asked, with this policy can Nigeria’s economic downturn be reversed? Can unemployment, poverty, hunger, food crisis and squalor being experienced now be addressed? Can the country boast of revenue from agriculture which can significantly cushion the effects of oil price crash? These are challenges and questions in the womb of time.
My solemn take home on this policy is this: for effective attainment of “The Green Alternative”, the 774 local governments in the country should be involved. Every local government in the country must be tasked to produce something. The department of agriculture in the local government council must have a farm.
The Head of Department (HOD) of Agriculture, the agric staff in the local government and the local government caretaker or chairman must be a stakeholder to the farm. Department of Agriculture in every state should also coordinate the sector and make sure every state has a farm.
There should be agriculture shows to showcase production and stir competition in the wards, local governments and states. The six geo-political zones must have a food processing industry which is strictly owned and manage by government, just like we have NNPC.
There must be comprehensive transformation of rural areas, which should be the engine room and the hub of food production in the country.
Clashes between Fulani herdsmen and crop production farmers must be addressed. Every local government must have good access roads to the state capital to ease food transportation.
Crops should not be produced and left to rot in the farms due to inaccessibility of markets. Agriculture should no longer be left in the hands of peasants. The government must play an active role in making agriculture a mainstay of our economy, once again.
Let government have mechanized farms that will employ youths. We need holistic collaboration of all and sundry on agriculture to save our country from starvation and get our economy out of the doldrums.
With these in place and all hands on deck, the “Green Alternative” can make meaningful impact.
Adikwu writes via [email protected]