Over 1,000 bloggers, under the auspices of the Bloggers and Vloggers Content Creators Association in Nigeria (BAVCCA) and the Tinubu-Shettima Support Group, have commended the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, for creating 60,000 jobs in various rural economies in the country.
The bloggers and the Tinubu-Shettima Support Group, in a joint statement on Sunday signed by the Vice Chairman of BAVCCA, Dr. Adebayo Olugbenga, the National Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Support Group, Alhaji Shehu Mohammed and the Secretary, Mr. Uche Okafor, expressed support for Kyari’s transformative leadership and the significant progress made in the agricultural sector in the past year under his leadership.
The statement read: “It is with great pride and enthusiasm that we, the members of the Bloggers and Vloggers, Content Creators Association in Nigeria and the Tinubu-Shettima Support Group, have gathered here today to pass a motion of confidence in the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari.
“Over the past year, Senator Kyari has shown unparalleled commitment to revolutionizing agriculture in Nigeria and we are here to commend his remarkable achievements and unwavering commitment to this vital sector of our economy.”
The group pointed out that under Kyari’s leadership, the agricultural sector injected an estimated value of N309 billion into the Nigerian economy last year through the harvesting of agricultural produce.
They praised the Minister for the construction of rural infrastructure, such as the construction of 77.8 km of asphalt roads, the construction of 130.9 km of unpaved roads, the construction of 102 motorised and solar powered boreholes and the installation of 6,504 solar street lights. In addition, they created over 60,000 jobs in various rural economies.
Listing some of the minister’s achievements, they said the ministry had initiated dry season farming with the cultivation of 118,657 hectares of wheat in 15 states, thereby accelerating year-round farming and seeking to ensure food and nutrition security.
They noted that by the end of the dry farming season, one of the participating states, Jigawa, had produced 55,000 tons of wheat.
The BAVCCA Vice Chairman disclosed that the Federal Government also supported 107,429 wheat farmers with inputs such as fertilizers, seeds and pesticides, resulting in a production of 474,628 metric tons.
The BAVCCA leadership and Tinubu-Shettima supporters noted that the Ministry of Agriculture, in response to the presidential directive, released 42,000 metric tons of assorted food items comprising maize, millet, sorghum and garri from the National Strategic Food Reserve to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for onward distribution to vulnerable Nigerians.
As part of measures to curb the rising prices of commodities in the markets, they expressed delight that the Federal Government had procured and distributed 58,500 metric tonnes of husked rice to all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
According to the statement: “To reduce malnutrition and stunting in children, the federal government has started fortifying crops with vitamin A, to increase the nutritional and health value of foods.
“In response to the persistent food inflation, the Federal Government has distributed 60,432 tonnes of improved seeds, 887,255 tonnes of seedlings, 138 units of value packs, 501,726 litres of agrochemicals, 62,328.5 tonnes of inorganic fertilizers, 1,000kg of fungicide and 33,200 units of equipment to farmers across value chains to improve production.
“The ministry also received 2.15 million bags of fertilizers from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to be distributed free of charge to farmers. Distribution of the agricultural inputs has commenced in the states.
“As part of the measures to ensure the protection and safety of farmers on their farmlands, farmland security has been improved through the provision of additional resources to farm guards and other security services.
“In the area of livestock and animal health, the Federal Government procured and distributed 14,056,467 doses of anthrax and foot-and-mouth disease vaccines last year for a risk-based vaccination exercise in 22 high-risk states across Nigeria.”
The groups also welcomed the establishment of animal health centres and a veterinary hospital, six micro dams and eight boreholes, 164 milk collection centres, eight small-scale animal feed mills and seven livestock breeding centres in the country.
On mechanization, BAVCCA explained that the ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with John Deere and Tata Africa to assemble and supply 2,000 units of the tractors with implements and accessories in the country annually, as well as 100 units of combine harvesters to support production.
The groups explained that the federal government has entered into a partnership with the Brazilian government for an amount of 995,000 euros to set up mechanization centers throughout the federation.
They are confident that under Kyari’s leadership, the agricultural sector will flourish and contribute to the country’s food security, economic prosperity and sustainable development.
“Kyari’s dedication, innovation and tireless efforts have truly set a new standard for agricultural leadership in Nigeria.
“We, the members of BAVCCA and the Tinubu-Shettima Support Group, pledge our unwavering support and commitment to work with the Minister to further strengthen the agricultural sector and realise our collective vision of a prosperous, food secure and environmentally sustainable Nigeria,” the statement said.
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