Abakaliki
The Deputy Chief Whip of the 10th Senate and Senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi has expressed displeasure over the late release of fertilizer to farmers for 2024 farming season aross the country by the Federal ministry of Agriculture, vowing that the Senate will prevail on president Bola Tinubu to investigate those behind the delay.
Senator Nwebonyi disclosed on Friday, during the distribution of over 2,000 bags of fertilizer to his constituents at Community Primary School, Mbeke Ishieke in Ebonyi local government area of Ebonyi State.
He queried why those in charge of the Fertilizer are releasing it now, when farmers across the country, especially in Ebonyi state are already harvesting their crops.
Nwebonyi noted that food crisis had become one of the major challenges facing Nigeria as a nation following the neglect of practical agriculture activities by the citizens of the country, especially the youths.
He called on the authorities saddled with distribution of fertilizer and other farm inputs to ensure its timely release in order guarantee bumper harvest and promote food security in the country.
"What I am trying to say, is if you want to give inputs to famers, give it on time to enable them to plan. It's because when you give farm inputs to farmers late, like the fertilizer the federal government is bringing now, is a bit late in this part of the country. After all, we are on the verge of harvesting our crops. So, this fertilizer would have come earlier, one or two months back.
"It's because when you give farm inputs to a farmer on time, it will help such a farmer to plan either to go for one, two or more hectares of land. But when you give the input to an intermediary, it's a problem, and in most cases, the rationale behind those inputs is usually forfeited
"We just did our new yam festival and started harvesting our yam; where are we going to use our fertilizer if not for the next farming season? So, I want to urge the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security to sit up and stop this insult - it's an insult to the Senate, and it's an insult to Nigerians.
"It means that the Minister is not serious, how he can bring fertilizer when people are already harvesting. It's uncalled for and Mr President should investigate this. Nigerians want results in all our policies and programs. If we say we are giving farm inputs to the Nigerian farmers, give them inputs between March and June to enable them to plan, not to give them inputs in the middle or towards the end of the farming season.
"This is not acceptable. This is not the way to go, and we must correct ourselves. We are Nigerians, and God must not come down from Heaven to make Nigeria better. It's we, the government - the leaders and the led (followers) will do this.
"It is no longer news that part of the problems we are facing today as a country is the food crisis because of our neglect of the agriculture sector. We should remember that in the early 60s and 70s, our country, Nigeria, became the Giant of Africa through Agriculture. But amazingly, when oil was discovered in this country, we abandoned agriculture, and that's the cause of the hunger ravaging us today.
"That's why Mr President, in his usual way of responding to the problems of Nigeria, decided to share some agriculture incentives and support farmers with farm inputs to guarantee better yield for next year so that the food crisis is a thing of the past.
"That's why Mr President, through 109 Senatorial districts across the nation, has donated 1,200 bags of fertilizer to each Senatorial zone. But as a Principal Officer, I got double, and I have to make it public; that's why I got over 2,000 bags of fertilizer. You can see others are sharing 1,200 bags of fertilizer, but I'm sharing 2,200 bags of fertilizer, and that's accountability, honesty and commitment to duty as I promised Ebonyi North people"
Senator Nwebonyi pointed out some of his interventions in his constituents amidst the economic downturn to include youth empowerment, distribution of motorcycles, cars, fertilizer, farm and herbicides to Farmers among other things.
"Remember in my three months in office, I did an empowerment where I distributed over 100 motorcycles, cars and grants to individuals. If you watch what I spent two months in the office when juxtaposed with my income in two months, you agree with me that I have spent beyond my income as a Senator.
"That tells you I can go all my way to make my people happy, including injecting my personal funds. That is what I did in three months in office. I didn't stop at that because I also came home with food palliatives which were budgeted for over 6,000 households that benefited from the food palliatives. I didn't stop at that because a month later, I came with farm inputs like we did today; I gave out herbicides, liquid fertilizers, and rice seedlings - satisfied seedlings and those who planted the rice seedlings have testified that it's a satisfied one, that it's a best of its kind. I gave those things as far back as March this year.
Nwebonyi Commended Nigeria president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his genuine efforts in transforming the Agricultural sector, stressing that investing in Agriculture is the way out of the economic problem currently challenging the country.
"So, I want to use this medium to appreciate Mr President for supporting farmers with this incentive, by way of providing fertilizer and other farm inputs he has given to Nigerian farmers. As I said earlier, this is the only way we can fight the food insecurity we are facing today as a nation. We cannot blame Mr President, the governors, or the senators because the citizens have a role to play.
"I want to use this opportunity to call on Nigerians, particularly the youth and the graduates, to see agriculture as the way to go. With agriculture, you don't need a white-collar job. As I said earlier, our morals towards agriculture are completely zero, hence the need to rethink and move towards agriculture. With agriculture, Nigeria can come back as the Giant of Africa. And I want to use this opportunity to say, the fertilizer is coming late. It's late, and the purpose will be forfeited because when you give farm inputs to farmers on time, it will help them to plan to be more realistic than giving fertilizer when they are harvesting. It's completely out of it, and I want to call Mr President to investigate the delay, in the distribution of this fertilizer. If it's from the Ministry of Agriculture or CBN, it must be investigated, because in this part of the country, particularly in Ebonyi State, when you fail to give fertilizer to the farmers between June and July, you are wasting your time. I want to apologize to the people of Ebonyi North Senatorial District for receiving their fertilizer quite late.
"Let me use this opportunity to appeal to the Nigerians to be patient with Mr President because when you look at his policies and programs, you will see a man who is out to change our narratives as a nation.
"He has done more in the agriculture sector by removing some taxes on food importation. These are practical steps Mr President has taken to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal and we urge Nigerians to support him".
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