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Nigerian Tribun e 29 Tuesday, 23 Octoher, 2012
Fer tonnes of fertilizer
Food supply: Akinjide wants agro-based industries in iE IIonourabk Min ISler d Stat~ Jar Fed a'IlI CapbI Tcrrttory wen. C hid OlaJumoke AktnjIdc.. has urged d .. prI 'late sec tor to establish agro-bascd IndUSlrtes In
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38.000 farmers get 3.279 die. tcrrttory as pArt cl d · iJns to Intn:ase lOad JliU' dUClJon. 11lc rninIi!Ifer. who lIIade thr call at the 20 12 Wortd
Agric'll revive N~eria's economy ~ 00 'Calls for rapid development of SMEs In (ulOllment or IlIJ IRECTOR-CENERAL or the Small and Medlum Enterprtaca [)cvelo pment Agency of Nige ria (SMEDAN) . Alhajl Muhammed Nadada Umar. has said that agriculture could once again. become the ma ln .Iay o( Ihe Nigerian economy. provided It Is taken .s a pro(esslon with prolh.able rctunlsto rarmers Umar projected .hal wttll the full Implementallon o( Ihe currc.nt admlnlstratlon's transfonnatlon agenda In Ihe agrlculturc aectOf', there would be no more rree land In Ihe country. due to 'he resultan. reVival or agr1<:ulture In the ne_1 ),ears lie made the assas ment while receiving a team (rom the Society o( Youth In Agriculture (SYAI, who paid him a c ourtesy vlsll at Ihe agency's headquarters In Ahuja The purpose orthe vl.lt , a c cording to the body's President . C om rad~ Bakare OladtmeJI. was 10 seck areas or col with laboratlon SMEDAN . In area. of tec hnic al and entrepreneur. hlp training. ror Ixnenc lartcs of dIe body.
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JecUve.. whk:h IIcr:ordlrtg 10 him, Include 10 Inspire and mobiliae youtha In lhe Federal Capital Territory 10 partlclpalc In agriculture. cducale and equip them wit h In rorma lion and modem technologies III agriculture and provide .hem with adequa.e support servlcFs. wllh a view to boosl sus lain-
Food DaycwgantKd bf the Federal Mtruwy d AgricuI lure and Runtl Dcydop menlo MM8ed thai b:Jd product.D1 should noc ~ the aolc responlllbllUy of the goyemmenl. She noted thai the new poHcy lhruat or~1 was to empower the Canner WUUPI and the prIVaJC KC101". to ~ the awtcuJturaI tnmefonnaUon proc:aa. 'ibe~l:Jdon!UI
.. 10 produce bld ror- the tcmtng populatJon to thts COlDIy.1hi5canno1i:Je*'l:ft _ the ldij.... sI:1IHty d thr 1flWI11f1lml aD1e. 1bc pn.. vale acctDr should take up the dl&llcngc cl cstabtIsh1n8~ Inctu!Iu1a!i In
fCT~partk:uiar.IIInDe~ are l1'en1CIldous potcnuat&
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:~I:r;T~~t C~:~~Ir:~~~ ~1lI.a N.~~
able rood production. Nlgerta
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In a related developmenl . the dtreclor-gen eral charged a delegation or the Nigerian Youths " arltarment . during a ~parate vtslt 10 him. to press (or O,e rapid devel· opmenl of small and me· dlum enlerprtse8 ISMEaI In the country with VIeW to endtcate povert)' and unemployment. adding that thai was t h e onl)' wa), Ntgcr1a could emerge (rom the pLethora or crtsls bedeviling II . The Speaker of Ihe ParUarment. Ho n ourable Abdullahl Malbaslra. cxprcucd con<:cm over Ihe scnous challenge posed 10 NIgcr1an youths b)' the spale or unemployment. which. he nOled, was hindering the develop ment of lhe cou n lry
.mdaboralc~cut
Itts b these: ~. saki AktnJIde. who was represenled by her SpedaI Asatstant on Area CouncIls, Mr ~ Fwa. She assured thai the ~'CT Admlnl5traUon was rmdytooollabonltewllhwlY YIaI.lie PIP 10
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Mculture in the naUon'. captlal, partlI:uIarty In the areas of IInpr'OWd Jann !r). puts dlstrtbuUOn. tractor hlnng servtces, produce markcUng and ~ value chaln proc:csees.. ~We have rcg5tered in the Fer, 8.000 CXIOpCn\tJvc societies 0( dUrerenl ceonomic backgrounds. TIlC8C Include prtmary, 8et'01dary and ape. cooperallve organlsallon wllh lotal
iE much pubUctecd All Political Partles Summit of the Na tiona.! OricntaUon Agency INOA) e n ded In Owerrt with a coJl by d \(; agency lOr a I1\IlMlve tum around in the altitude. cl poIlUi::al actMIIlS by 1mbtbblg good poUtlcal culture In thc.1r InleraClion amongst themsdves and with the pcopk.
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&om3.279~lOnr1eIIo( aseorted IertJltzc:nJ and tIn-
proYCd scaiL- Akb1j6de revcakld.
GI'::S" oneclthe key InllIaUYcs Wlder the AgricuI'ural
Transrormatlon
AgcndaalmCdat~
the ~tuTe IIC:C\CII'. enauJ1ng lOad IICCW1ty, diver-
alfying the eCOUOfTly. and
"'""""~- The minister adVised amaIS acak: I'anncrIi 10 untte and bm viable oommodU.y groups to maxlml8e thctr entrcprcnei.UVllp skills. -'IlIe Fer Agrtculture and Rural Development S«::rctarIat WIDSI under the Farmers Ttthnology Eol ipOWU II iO It
f"nlWamrnc
and the Public Prtvate Partnc.rwtup [PPPI a.nangement ha pnx:umI 80 traetors. with mmplcte act cl tmp6cmenl. which have bcc:n distributed to FCT largeIICaIc Cannen and !annen' cooperalive groups , ~I the a.u councils. (o'r Ihe farming season.· ,,~-
.. '~~~UYc ~;o~~. ~t~£"°by ~~w~~~~~
d u1 Cthe
JO('mbcBhtpciaboul12 million 11K Fer has already keya:I Into the ~tur.\I Transformallon Agenda IATAJcllheprC!lCluadmlnIstnlUCXl and .. at Ihr: forefronl . Under the Growth Enhancement Scheme tCESL Fer has surveyed and ~ O¥a" 50,000 Iannen In tla data bank. or this number". OYO'" 38,000 farmers have beneflted
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In poltucaJ cultun across
NIgcr1a IOcompkmcnt the on goAngODll5UtuUonal revW:w. even as he was emph811c that NI£Crla will aJ ways rcmaln one at.rong. united and Indl5lKlluble naUOn daplte ~UOn from aomc quartCl'll cl the
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......2015.. TI\(; governor said lhat the present structure of rt:dtral&sm In NJgerIa. with 50 much power concentill led al Ihe oentn:. was programmed to (aU beC8.UK It the kkaJs 01 the 01 true
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called ror constlluUonal dt:voIuUon cl powers thai would empower atale goy_ emmcn .. to cffCCllvdy ad mlrUllter the alales lOr devdopmenL bUI W-dS quick 10 note thai such dr:woIuUOn mU51. be acaxnpankd wldl pDIIlUYc transfcnnalion clthe rntnd5et cl poUtIdans and poIlUC:aJ parOCS. as the. NOA has set aul to KhIcYe.
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stale. General Abdululaml Abubakar, represen ted b)' (onner mUttar)'govetnorolEougu and Ondo States. Cokxld MIke Luc:kyTorrc.y. had in aUendancc. lhe ~ of Imo slale . Owelle Rocha. Okorocha and membcn 01 wa c:xecuUYc councI In his address. Go\oernor Okorocha IdenUncd
eral of NOA , Mr Mike Omert. .. Id the summit was ClOOCdvcd as part 0( tm agcw:y·. mandate to promote valu~ta.tion in all acd.ors. He saJd It was also in Une with the Federal Govcmmc:nfs desire to promo te broader W1dcntandangclODnSUtuUOnaiItlm in pany poHtJcs towards decpcnll1£ our de-
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The role of culture in local govt transfonnation ColIIQ. NQab uUe
L
OCAL Governmen t
15 the thtrd lIer or govemmenl In NtgcrIa's (cdcnl .)'litem. II Is consklcf-cd as the kvd of government whic h Is ph)'5k:8lly. aodaily &lld poIiLieally doM:sl to the. l0cal popuJallOn.. It wu crealed baskalIy 10 dccollges t the: functiOn of the central government and proVide services that are local In character II ill to ttua regard that the: NauonaJ lnaUtute for C uhural OrlenlaUon INICOI recently organlscd a two-da), ~hop on, 'C"IHlre and Soc:.Io-Economic Transformation 0(
the. Local Governmenl ~ Seiling Agenda ror Dcvc.1 opi1lcnt .' Durtng the works hop. tllC Execu~ Secretary cl NICO. Dr Barclay. Ay"koro ma... sUd It wlJi.dd srrvc as an avenue: for art
enlaUon to cultu ral mat rectlng t h e Uves or the lera for" policy makcra and people. has conUnued to other pemmctlt oIIldaJs beevadcd bydcWdopilCilL and c:ngagtng in publk en The prcacrvallon and Ughlenmcnt and ac:nsIU · prorncOonclklcalcuilurai zallon cldlC varloua (aeherttagc not only aJIItJib.. cls of NIgc:r1a's culture.to ute to dewdopment In Ils dfect.hdy mobU.Izc NtgcrI pracUcaJ economk: acnae. ana lowards a cullu~ but aIao by provkltng d\(; enlcd Ufc:styk. required social and ply"1llc local govcmmenl d~lspurlOdevdop.ystem w considered \oV)' ment pivotal 10 national dcvcl Cullural COIl5dousncaII opmen.; It explains why al the local government virtually all cou n lr1cs or kYCI can ilCt as a unlfytng the: world have It in place. factor at U.. naUonal k:vc:I ald~ wtth different noby making kJcaJ IXIUUltUJIj menctalure . Thus, the lJcI rea.lt.sc that no comkJcaI F'VC"UJlCfIl COI..IIIdia munltJ is an wland and arc ~ as Importanl that then: Is tndcuI WIIty agents d development at to dlVCBIty However. It Is dlshcart the: grassroot. III con ~ormlly with dle peopIe's cui- enloe to note that an ..lure ,· AyakoromS!M:88lllCfl1 ofdle Ioc:aI goyatresaed . emmcnl system in NtgeIt III uruonunate that I"la shows t h at It ha. the Ioc:aI govemm~nt.)'5- CaJIcd. to a large extenl.. to lem in NIgcr1a. which has perform liS consUtutJonal dlCresponstbUlI)'oIboosc- rok cldrtvtng the protae Ing development at the o( dcwelopment al the gra.ssroot by P08Utvdy af graaa.rooL
Ayakoroma In a speech rcc:cntly. underscortng the 01 an dfCCClvc local govcmtncnl towartis development of the gruasroot.. saki. ·whlle \ft appreciate that there Is utgcnt need for" conaOtut.Iona.I amendment_ eapcdally In the area 01 joint accounls, to make the 10cal govcmmelll aCCOllillable. there Is a lot dle clfldals can do wttliin the confines 01 c:on:tOtutional provtakJoS to .'er SOdacconOfTllC tnu\SConnauon 01 thctr areas.. A cr1UcaJ exa.mtnallon 01 the hwtory and cultural hcrttagc 01 NIgcr1a·. Ioca.J commuruOCS wtlI reveal as much dtvcnlty as SimHar1 " lJcI acn.a the aoc&al. poUlical wld gc.ogtJlphJcal dIv1dc. Also, a poallM IdenlIncation with local and national cuitunal berttage strengthens a sense of pride. ~ty and bdongIl1g to a community of na Importance
lion TIle I1Ch cultural berttagc of NIgcrlans arc rcaU lelll.. reaouru:Jul and Innovauve. good tngrcdk:nl for .....xra:.. lOIltk lnlns(ormation In a recommendation made by Abba Gana ShetUrna, while presenl Ing a pBJ1Cf" rccendy at a NICO workshop. he OUI lined that ·Iocal governlnelllS and Ule other two lIers o( government ahould take an lnventory 0{ our lndtgenous knowIedge .,..tem In all arcu cl human endeavour and take dellberale slep5 10 pucrvc and uUlizlC them by addrc.aatng UIC devdopmental d\811engea In the natiOn· lie further appcaled 10 policy makenl. especially at the local government leyd, to.Itop who lesale atltunallnunltaUOrlofa.ilYthing c oming from Ihe ...._1 and start Iooklng In -
WllnbI to devdop the ca· PftClt)' cl NtgcrIans AbI» Gana llin.ed that mc:h local goycrnmcnt in Ihe country should be ~ by the ClOn5UtuUon 10 lake an InventDr)' clnaturaJculturalhcritagc cl the klcaUt)' and cstab-Il5h mUllnim5 of natural and cultunal hWtory. The value ayslem of the aoc:lel), musl change ror meaningful development 10 take place at all levels of government Indo lenc e and aU forms cl COfTlJpt practices must be jetll.oned and re plac ed with princ iples . transparency. accountability and participatory governance . Also. Ihe c ultural values of eac h SOClet)' should be \lpheld 10 Inject the spirit or con sclousncss a nd patrlo· U.am In Ihe citize ns. so thai the grassroot s would CJ:pcrtencc rapid development