Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has urged the people of Enugu State to embrace the federal government’s ongoing Integrated Farm Estate Project, saying iy would close the market for banditry.
The federal government had announced recently that it would establish Integrated Farm Estates across the 109 Senatorial districts of the State.
But the plan has been faced with mixed feelings, as some felt it was an indirect way of reintroducing the controversial RUGA project.
However, in a statement, Okechukwu appealed to Enugu communities to participate fully in the project, because the farm projects would be managed by the communities themselves not Fulani, adding that, it would be community-based.
He reiterated that the FG programme meant for the 109 Senatorial districts, was a presidential mandate to close bandits’ market, provide employment and food security.
Okechukwu explained that he was making the passionate appeal “because our people are embarrassingly missing billions of Naira budget from the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), unlike other geopolitical zones, in one of the key projects in the Buhari Agrarian Revolution value chain.
“One subscribes to back the land project, one because it is community based, and aimed at generating mass employment, as creation of employment is the best way to close banditry, kidnappings and terrorism in our land, for an idle mind is devil’s workshop,” he explained.
Okechukwu said it was regrettable that some people’s pastime had become stock-pilling hatred against the central government as if President Buhari was going to preside over Nigeria for life.“We should not gloss over the truism that the central government remains the only common shelter, which shelters us all. In no distance future, Nigeria will take her destined status as giant of Africa. Therefore, it is not pragmatic to cut our nose to spite Buhari’s face.
“Accordingly, we should not reject humanitarian projects, which ignite employment, close bandits’ market, reduce poverty and provide food security, because of sentiments,” he advised.
Okechukwu said he was happy that the Executive Secretary of National Land Development Authority (NALDA), Paul Ikonne, had clarified the concept of the programme.
“But the true position is that the integrated farm estate is designed to accommodate the youths from that community in order to engage them in the entire agricultural value chain.”
