16 \
Lighthouse
Truth Has No Elder Brot her..
Human Relations: Jesus' Highest Message I..JI rna a J~: I populacr SO engrossed with
.£1J]ush ing their nostrils and anUJ~ sp.arkllng clean to pluse some mighty deity up the~. whereas the:lr I:redlme:nt of fellow humans
bt.ings remained callous. brutish. Trust Jesus. he: lash~ our: "\YO(' WilD you (ofo batJUI) you teachers of the law and Phari.Res1 You gtW' 11 tenth ~n of the susonlng herbs. .. but negJ«t 1!I1':..,"J""!l\~ to obey the ~all) Imporwu ~hl ngs of die Ia\oll( such as justlU!, mt:rcy and hOIlest}tltiIKkaltY mough. I.JVef 2,000 Yt'OIfS and much
advincrtf technology later. mankfnd Is ~ lO g~ what the. N;uarftn tried to g~ Into the
thick heads of the Jewish rtUidou$ leaden: That
the ~act o rtod worthl p IS Man Care care for man. And t.ha.t In the absence of this, all other acts of wtlnhlp amount to mere -sound And rw, "gn1fymg nothing." lesus.stR:SSed In If'achlng aflerleachlng that Cod ratH the welfare of man above n-e.n his
toddr
own laws. An
instance: Jesus and his boys were returning
from a round-town pruchlng trip one PalesdnloUl ~Ing when the famished disci1~ ~ing lIuOLgh .. whe.1t farm. bepn leJplng lhl"lrut:Io'C't to the gnlns.1t was ~bbalh ~And th~ Phal'ist'n were ~n r;]ged. To th~m, the m~I~"ct of plucktngthe urs ~nd rubbing them bl'tl',ftn th~lrpalm$ to gd th~ grains ~moUl1letll!) working on Sabbath ddy. Theyscreamed: ·Se~1 YourbOys ~r~ bi'e~ldng th~ lawl But ~l@ln, trust Mlry'$ first chUd. I Ie rut them to size -Haven't you ~ad what bavld dkil whll~ murnlng fn)m ol battle, his wamors were so hungryth,lt th~desaondedon th~bttad placed 00 Yahv.."h:; ;I]~rwhlch (ordlnarily)was
out · a human !>dnR'. Bm like lnany toda~ the Phartsecs wert' 50 Oh, anotherbeoluliful one from the obsessed with runyl[lg God's favour. t1lfough NilZd~n. ,mr,ty observance of t he rul6, that they 1051 Ifyou a~ on rhe ~ylo dIe churr:h (syrld' the rh umanlly{omoJuab~ They were willing. gogue). he told his oludlena, dnd you rememeve n eager, tooltend their neighbours In therr ber lha t you hild offended your neighbour craze for outward show of "go(Iliness". badr home, rum I»ck righc cherr-no/ don'! Some even slaught~ fellow humans to secure go rochurd! tim oInd I1"fUm lacer-go righe enlfilnce to some "paradise"{AJ.Janna }-nol boIdr 4lnd selUe 1M mJrunckm4lndlng before only In Kano but oiIlSo In Gtnaoilll. you p~ (0 church. Expectedly,lt was for thC'Sl: WT1:mg-MoIdtd tell· Jesus' mUlling is crystal cledr: going OJ gionlsu that Jesus rese~ his most SGlthlng Churrh or mosque (Or whoIrnw worship ~ .illegorles.lle called them gikled sepulchers- fTe} though good, Is not as Importmt.JS SUrr a/dwo funfun- so sparkllng white out· maJnGlinlnggood matJons with fdlow side. but full 01 corruptloit/ rotten flesh Inside. b = Yet anothe:rbe~utUuJ one. Jesus entt~ the Rdlgioslty Is not .In end In Imll It is a synagogue one Saturday .nd 10, there wu means toan end And that end Isberomlng among the congregation a man bent almost beuerpersons. Being ~llglous without strivdouble,obvlouily by some spinal defen. Ue Ing to become better persons Is self-dea:IL had bee:n so for 18 ~a rs. The pitiful Lruth is that the hell WI! see all As char.!lcttristic of Jesus, pity brimmed IlIlhe oIround us In the world. In our country, hlm. 11e did not walt for the poor fellow to seek is a reflection 0 the hell we: canywlthin us-his he lp. l ie called hl m !M!r and was about to despite all w deslgnerweoll's. houses. cars ElY'! the he.tling ~ommand when our Phalisee friends raised obJ«tIonsagaln: It was Sabbolth we Oaunt. Onlv better p6S0RS Coln make a bem!r d.1y, 50 It \OS unlawful for lesus to heollthe poor fellow. But ew:n todJy, m.JInyof us miss that point. lesus stood stock mil This time, whoat brimmed in the Natareen was ~ ilft' busy building our follths ....'ithout building ourchilrane-r. nOl pity-it was .Inger. FUry. It 1s-lIkrstudentswhoattend school ~I.ar· But Scorpio Jesus, he fought down the uplDIy,greet te.achers profusely, Iron their unl· slon.And ~pbad it wilh a ~k as deadly oI§ fonns well, cheerfully run errands forleach· the gulllotlne:"Whldl one of~, Ifhls came:! (the mainstay of his economy) (01115 In a well on ers, but fall In the mOSt ~ntl;1i: facing their studies. They dece:M themselves.. They will 01 Sabbolthdaywlll not workhard to pull It continue (0 faillheir WAEe exams. outr Agaln- wait 01 When did I become a They were stunned Into silence. predcher? HilaiUl Must be allthost' Ea.stu Of course. each of them knew he would pull rice. .. Out his camel. Bul obviously. they won't pull
..,nd
r.
not lawful for them to eat."
Jesus' message Wi\5 cI~r: In the fact' of human need, rigid observance of the laweven God's law- takes secona place. In fact, heended his rtSP9nSt: wilh a masterstroke:
-n.e taw is made For man, not man for the taw: lhalis. me welfdreof mall rakes preadence (J"Ier the laws of God
MATTERS ARISING
'FederalAgric Loan Not Accessible To Farmers' Go¥t'mmenl~11.'d agtic 1oan,I!'lC9K those Mr. Babatunde Sanni. a World Bank who havt ~ able to get owoonce from FADMtA and CofTllnl!fd4lJ Agrk Msodolrlon. trained aquaculture consultant, is the CommerdoJl AgrIc As:socUtion oy to work with Chairman of Tee-Ess Integrated boInks to eduatt them In orrler ror fiU'lIlers to be oIble to ~ ag:ric loan appilcilUOns. The probFanners limited, located in lagos. In lem again Is that I!'Ym theo..nks do not urider· this interview with JOSEPH OKOGHE- mnd~~~to~~ru~~ becauseolgrlcultuft'is.a .Ised area.lbu Gln't NUN, the aquaculture expert x-rays Just stUdy oIJtrlcuJture In dler instltulioru: and rum ex:pen1n the field. 8.Jrlb need towork with Nigeria's progress in the agriculture agricultural coruultants to eduGi te them on the sector of Ihe economy while calling for way to pacJra~ agrlcuJtural loans. Some ProfItable agrlrul tunl pro}erusomeol us the application of subsidy to fish fann- haYt' put forwiIrd .Ire not getting a~culrural
ing in the co~n1ry.
How would you flSle51 the lloJdon's a.gricultunl
"""" say_ thoItlhfe
e l nakingp~lnlhe:serue rdalAgr1curru~ t 1W opened the ~01 a
know"",
,.«,( r.nn.n; " now Ibh Wming Is 5U~ to ~ aone as iI business. ThrOuIh the merWI NUlcultu~ ct, the ~rkI Bank tw
mbusl~d~lopment
""'' '1' ' ' '
bi11lon$ """"
Druf
Adrnlnlstntlon;md Cont:Tol{NAFDr\C to IlUpKtourl"adllly so that \llt'an ~ tht hlg" earn market and export 10 benefit from proJects like N:.OA. There 4l~ somany protectswlth good Incentives all ave- the world. But how dO you beneflt11he Nigeria Export Commission Is suppose:d to get incentives for ~en, agrlcu]. rural proilucu Inclusive. But one must eil:pon goodS 01 0Yt'f Ns million before one coulrl start getting Inttntives from the commiSSiOn. Bow many small~le filnnersc.tn raise Ns million tOupoctolgrtC-b.ued products when Io.Jns £rom banks lust beCause batiKs belJeY't' that Moire stili trying roget the b.is1c51 So. It Is still fish farming Is too much a risk fOr them to ldke.1t the rich that benefit (rom the Initiative. lust as looks as I( the <:mOil! Bank of NI~ (CBN) Is \lit' havt: In the Fue! subsidy pal.J\u wurking with the Ministry of Agticul~ure arid Is not high dmt:governmentapp!led ~ some mIe owned Inst:ltutloru; to rnake lending for .tgricuIt\lrt' mddng.1 think by the time the ImplemeoUition is prOperty worit'd out. l"a1'1T1l!'lS would be mle to access oIgrk loans the way It .shoukI beoltone percent interest notat28 per
cent fnteresl: rate. H~I Ilthe t'flolbUngenvironmem ~ nOI: Ol.'ated a 10( olthlnp would be )eopardlsed. PfOvk.ltrs ro . t other farmers on &e:stlmema· Fanners;are oIlready fadng a 101: thallenges In the tional pTCKtkes nfUCh a way that folrmers oI~ counlI}l.1hey have to buy generator ilnil fuel Just able toapprma e loInnlngua bUSiness VClIU~ 10 beable to meet up with iklTl.tnd. With subSidy Ash'imnfllgls plofitable venture In as mlKh mllOvaL our oper.tllng cost h.u gone up. For .J.S one has the' ti tit a,pi~ to IrMSt In It oIod the inst>1nce, the cost of dlMCOolI WI! use In smoking lish ha.s gone up. Un(ortun;lIle~ we cannot put rtahtllWlpowe toworkwlth. Oiedicated mar wer for fish folnnlnglsoil big ~ting cost on the pm ol fistL challmge. It lot grildU4ltes ~ been tnlnid Govftnment Is no doUbt trytng to P',!t up 200d In the u . ,j"ndDOMedmlcsoo Ibberies. polldes that would enholna tfie _lfare oT limn· But _ holY'! m. ~ thit many of them ;are ers. but lJeQuse of corruptjon these poIldes .Ire notmleto ffilOOthe)ob.1 belJevethallw: negadvrly Implemented"so thoIt [armm; do not to do with rurricuJum In our higher Institutions " ... ","",Uto01the "AfriCan " "Growth _ and and which ¥ro~ nl!c.1 to dJea some cil.tnges on to 'An! 1M! ~ """""'"'" I<l l1000\),, "" on 'n the tob, but n:;eJ:r.employmenLLtgosSta~ \\'Cannot beneht fromNXJlt. P.'08fiImme If our ... on ",..bll'", .. pnfo= products;an ~t Is, lO_r;m.aklngildlfrerence not oflntemational ttatus.1 beU~ wlththeNuku turai-'lbuthEmpowt'rment that NIgert.Jns In Nigeria deservegood foodand Scheme{l'fS)DI r.unme, whlcih trained youths flstL And as ruch our pl'OduaJon must meet In~· on agrlculture empowrred, thtm with loam, Ildtlonal standard. I'tople know ~ fish; If they iIS the: h.JJM 1m lies. romn theirowTl business. wt'ft' good. customers would haW' no problem HawactEBll*: ;f~gI:Mftlmmt'l~ pun:liaslng them. BUllf theywm' bad. customers Would hoIYt' problems purchasinR them. NlOO Although I ng to many limn b.ued as:sod.J. One problem NIKeriam h.Jve Is the smokr!em lions, 100 noc: W oIny srriaIloInd medium sc..ale In fish MK1 which1s .arx-Internallonally rec0ml"a1'lMr'Who haS been oIbt1!' tOKCes$ the Federal mended mt. It. ~ f.Jrms.lncluding mfne. h.rve
Om!kI{Iment
e\1l~oIl
gOlten It right: \lit' oI~ now looking at getting Ole: National "Bency (or Food and
I""P"_'
me.uum- to all asptCU ol agricuJture:1 Yesllt is high t:ime.. Weexp«l palliolttves along with partioln'uel subsidy removal However.lf g0vernment can evm Ib. efectrtdty problem. many Wmers and other smolU-SColle Indusni.Jlisb wouJd flourUh. We Icnow thai tIll.iIlkc.tle fanners produce InOR than 10 per cent 01 foods \lit' t'oIt In ibis countJ)t 1hereKn, these .1ft' the a,tegories 01 farmers gtWt'fTUJII!'flt must do something to encourage. For insrance, oI.1(ticulnml tqUlpment and feedS should be dutyfree. In Nigeria, fl'!rtllIser Is subsidised. but not fuhmulln fishing farming. our own fertiliser is fish· Illt'oIl.llls unfonullolte that It Is not.subsldlsed by
.mybody.lf WIe oIdd Ilshmeal consiste-ntlvlmo fish feeds, tM rale ol growth oIndt,U3l1ty of hsh would Increase.. The~fon. we are sa ng tMt flshmul should be subsidised; agrtcu Uft' equipment shouk! bedu~aswell.