The Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Okechukwu has called all the states and local governments in Nigeria to see the need of keying into President Muhammad 'Buhari Agrarian Revolution, BUGREV', to lift majority of Nigerians out of poverty.
Ikechukwu gave this advice during an interactive session with journalists at All Progressives Congress, APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
He said it was imperative for the wide gap between the rich and poor people in the country to be bridged hence the need to build a middle class which could be done through developing Agriculture.
The VON DG said BUGREV will not only upgrade those already in subsistence farming but will also motivate women and youths to enter into agriculture.
“Accordingly, in my candid opinion, #BUGREV is the Utility Bolt, to upgrade not only the 70% of Nigerians who are already in subsistence farming, but to motivate and mobilise more people, especially youths and women into agriculture. We need media support to achieve mass appeal” he said.
Mr. Okechukwu further shed more light on some programmes under BUGREV which assist farmers.
“For the records there are many programs defining the #BUGREV to mention a few – big time commercial farmers, cooperative farmers and the beneficiaries of the Anchor Borrowers Programme ABP.
“ABP attracts my interest more than other variants of #BUGREV, in expanding the frontiers of agriculture, for it is an epitome of communal farming, more or less devoid of prohibited interest rates, the bane of our Shylock Banks.
“In sum, it goes thus: the community maps out hectares of land, and each farmer owns one hectare, high yield seedlings, fertilizer and other inputs are supplied by Central Bank of Nigeria (the managers of ABP). The products are picked up or bought by designated over takers, who via the bank remits the farmers due share, until he becomes self-sufficient.
“Gentlemen of the Press, let’s buy-in into #BUGREV, for with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Green Imperative Programme (GIP), a blitz mechanisation scheme meant to site over 600 Tractors Servicing Centers and over 100 Agro-Processing Plants nationwide, we are on good ride. GIP will plug the missing gap of middle class, by building faster the rural middle cadre, with effective linkage with the grass root. With one stone we kill two birds – the middle class and renews our rural areas” he said.
Further stressing on the importance of economic prosperity in Nigeria, Mr. Okechukwu said other issues like devolution of power will not be successful if there isn’t economic prosperity.
“Even our desire for devolution of powers or restructuring will make better sense, and be more meaningful, for without economic prosperity, Risorgimentos of the middle class; restructuring no matter how well designed will only reinforce the Emperorship of our Governors. Therefore, it will spice our shared intendment for devolution of powers. This is a task that we must all embark on” he said. -VON.
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