Group tasks governors to emulate Agric Minister

Emeka Ibemere

All State Women Association of Nigeria; Worldwide has tasked all the state Governors in the country to learn from the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Akinwumi Adesina in the revolutionary agenda of his Ministry in meeting the Millennium Development Goals Initiatives target before the year 20;20;20,vision of the present government.

The Group while reviewing the 19th edition of the Nigeria Economic Summit which just ended in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, said the Federal Government’s plan to remodel Agriculture to suit Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations initiative is a welcome development, adding that the participants of the 19th Nigeria Economic Summit initiated by Mr. President Goodluck Jonathan should emulate the Minister.

Mrs. Temple Nnedum, President General of the Association, said in a press briefing at the Secretariat of the Organization on Saturday 7 September, at Oshodi Local Government Area of Lagos State, that19th Nigeria Economic Summit forum would increase and widen the knowledge of Nigerian farmers, entrepreneurs, businessmen, captains of industry and investors including the rural women in the states.

She stated that the Minister for Agriculture’s drive to develop Agriculture in Nigeria is on course adding that the Minister has done well.

Nnedum praised the Minister’s score card, and explained that certain Agricultural revolution is going on in Nigeria.

The Women Association lampooned those attacking the Minister for low performance to stop criticizing him adding that the Minister has performed better in taking some revolutionary steps in refocusing Agriculture in the country.

“We heard the criticisms of some governors that Mr. President should not commend the honourable Minister of Agriculture Hon. Akinwumi Adesina, on the grounds that he has not done anything. We are of the opinion that those governors are not being fair in their criticisms because the Minister of Agriculture Hon. Akinwumi Adesina has really fashioned his ideas through the policies of Mr. President to grow Nigeria Economy”, Nnedum said.

Nnedum recalled in 2009, when the Association went round the states soliciting for rural women among them from the state governments to help rural farmers in their states with a plots of land to enable them venture into farming but that the state Governors didn’t respond to their several letters to them.

 According to her, only four Governors out of the 36 state Governors responded to their clarion call.

Those Governors that responded were the Governors of Ebonyi, Oyo, Kwara, and Delta States. All State Women Association said their project was to use the lands to return rural women back to farming instead of the buying and selling of articles that cannot fetch them enough to take care of their families.

She stated that such project would have been the Association’s idea of contributing to the national development and growth in economy in eradicating poverty as part of the Millennium Development Goals Initiatives.

“But we were surprised by the acts of our governors to support our request. Out of 36 governors only four responded to us, i.e. Ebonyi, Oyo, Kwara, Delta States”, she added.

 “And Lagos State was funny on one side but instead of complying with our proposals, they started adopting our proposals in a different manner that was different to our goals”.

 She further disclosed that the same letter was sent to the former Minister of Agriculture pleading to him to help them talk to some Commissioners of Agriculture in different states but that the former Minister failed to honour their letter instead, he went and distributed fertilizers to his cronies and political friends instead of the rural farmers.

But with the coming of the Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, things have started taking a new shape in the agricultural sector. Nnedum said that with Adesina, Nigeria would be fully involved in Agriculture because of the passion he has introduced in the Ministry.

The Group frowned at the Bank of Industry (BOI) Director/CEO Ms. Evelyn N. Oputu for her inability to sponsor 10 members of All State Women Association of Nigeria from six geo -political zone for training in Israel on farming.

According to the Group’s leader, the training would have offered the selected members of the Association an opportunity to be in a position to train other members of the group from what they have learnt from Israel adding that they would start mentoring others in their zones on methods, ways and forms of farming as women.

Nnedum stated that they went as far as contacting their consultant to plead on their behalf in 2010 and 2011 but that the Director and CEO of BOI deliberately ignored all their requests.

According to the group, Ms. Evelyn N. Oputu recently took some people abroad to train in farming. “we then asked, which platform did Ms. Evelyn N. Oputu used in sending some people abroad, or is the training for fun?”, the group queried.

 “She can not ordinarily send people outside the country for training and come back without having any group of farmers among them and of course such will be seen as waste and must be investigated”.

Nnedum blamed the Ministry of Women Affairs in not carrying rural women along most especially in projecting them to benefit from things meant for them.

“This is why we are not happy with the Ministry of Women Affairs, in that we expected majority of things that is beneficial to Nigeria women to be carried out by her, if not for anything but for good governance and opportunity given to us recently but she appears reluctant to things that concerns women especially the grass root women”, she added.

“We must commend the honourable Minister of Agriculture and Mr. President for their immense desire to massively develop agriculture and bring economic growth in Nigeria with what they are doing at the moment which will increase abundant food stuffs supply in Nigeria”.

The group tasked all the privileged farmers and peasants in the country to remains focus with their farming that to make Nigeria grow richer in Agricultural products and end poverty before 202020. The President-General of the association, Barrister (Mrs.) Temple Nnedum, said the all-women NGO was born to challenge the women to give appropriate services to their fatherland, render services to humanity and to promote the positive aspect of culture and values of the Nigerian society.

According to her, All State Women Association of Nigeria worldwide (aka New face Women) represents all Nigerian state women living within and outside Nigeria with a view to bring the image of Nigeria to an immeasurable standard.

The Associations with a membership base of over 85,000 women are made up of 100 branches basically, in all the states and villages in Nigeria. According to the Association’s President, the objective of the group is to promote love, unity and give service to Nigerian all over the world,  assist Nigerians in facing the recent trend of globalization and climate change, establishes aged people’s home and widow’s homes and uphold, and  encourage the principles that will strengthen the women in democratically elected government. Nnedum also pointed out the Group was meant to encourage children education by means of scholarship award in order to desist from cultism, prostitution, molestation and examination malpractices.

It also organizes enlightenment campaigns against killer diseases such as HIV/ AIDS, Guinea worm Tuberculosis, Malaria, Fever, and poverty e.t.c. and sees to the achievement of millennium Development Goals.

The Association also claimed to assist the Federal and State Governments meet all challenges of ill governance and act as a mediator to Nigerian state, when and where there is conflict.

The group further said they want to establish skills acquisition and leadership development centre in Nigeria for younger generation of women in becoming skilled, initiate and execute vital social economic development project in Nigeria, cherish, uphold and encourage the traditional and cultural heritage of Nigerian people and to ensure that traditional rulers, Economic and political leaders of Nigeria are people of integrity and are at peace and fight against all cultures that strips the women of their rights and privileges. Currently, the Association has embarked on farming program that will take the women in each State in Nigeria where they have branches represent, starting with Lagos State.

 It was gathered that the purpose of the project was to feed the people of Nigeria with less expensive food and provide tools for the farmers working for All State Women Association of Nigeria.