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| * Ogbeh |
A closer scrutiny of the words and actions of our ruling class, politicians and elites will reveal why things never seem to work in NIgeria, especially in the public sector.
For example the on-going 'dancing naked' in the public square by Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Hon Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, FMARD will aptly illustrate this assertion.
Recall that between late last year and early this year, Chief Ogbeh took what can best be
described as a '419 proposal' to the Federal Executive Council, FEC meeting, that there will be revolution in agriculture if the three Federal Universities at Umudike, Abeokuta and Makurdi are handed over to FMARD. And only students interested in studying agricultural
science and related courses would henceforth be admitted into the universities.
That proposal had already being adopted by FEC with a committee already working on the
implementation. Part of the proposals include establishing a National Commission for
Agricultural Univerisities, similar to National Universities Commission, NUC
Reports from the stakeholders meeting Ogbeh held with Vice-Chancellors and Governing Boards of the universities in Abuja had it that the Minister was even applauded for this hare brained, half-baked, mischievous and illegal policy initiative.
Ogbeh was quoted as saying at the meeting that: “Henceforth, students who are not interested in becoming farmers should be made to seek admission elsewhere. We are determined to offer you (the universities), the necessary support for your transformation, for research for a healthier realm of discovery and self-actualisation,’’
Ogbeh said the Federal Government’s decision to relocate its three Universities of Agriculture from the Federal Ministry of Education to Agriculture, was to refocus the schools as globally acclaimed citadels to move the agriculture sector forward.
Painfully, even our elites and intellectuals contribute and collaborate with politicians in deceiving Nigerians, just to keep eating crumbs from the master's table and lining their pockets with public funds
At that meeting the highly revered Prof. Anya O. Anya, Professor of Biology and the Pro-Chancellor of the Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia, reportedly applauded the Federal Government for the relocation of Universities of Agriculture to FMARD.
Anya, who raised concern over disconnect with the science and practice of agriculture in the country, expressed hope that the domicilliation of the universities in the ministry would reposition the sector.
What hollow and hypocritical submission!
During the locust years of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, then Minister of FMARD, Akin Adesina, an Agricultural Economist was outstanding in policy initiative, policy execution and drive to reform, reposition and re-strategically ensure that Nigeria not only achieve food security, but also earn its major foreign exchange from agriculture rather than oil.He was not looking for an army of agricultural sciences to catalyse the process when he held sway.
Chief Ogbeh by resorting to chasing shadows and mind games rather than focusing on continuing the very laudable policies and programmes of his predecessor typifies how the ruling class and policians decieve Nigerians with lies, half-truths and utter deceptions when they really have nothing to offer. We proffer here, the ten deceptions and lies inherent in Ogbeh's moves to delist courses at the three Federal Universities of Agriculture.
Deception No. I:
Chief Ogbeh is into commercial farming as business, but he did not study Agricultural Science. He read humanities in the University, and from there he began teaching and then went into politics. What is the disconnect between his degree, his occupation/vocation and adventure in agrobusiness?
Deception No. 2:
The mandate of FMARD is to regulate agricultural research, agriculture and natural resources, forestry and veterinary research all over Nigeria. And to help it achieve these mandate, the following specialist research institutions and schools were established and placed under the ministry:
1. Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, (ARMTI), Ilorin
2. Chad Basin National Park, Maiduguri
3. Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan
4 College of Forestry Mechanization, Kaduna
5. Federal Colleges of Agriculture Akure, and Ishiagu, Ebonyi State
6. Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology (FCTMT), V/I,Lagos
7. Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan
8. Federal College of Veterinary Research, Vom, Jos
9. Federal College of Wildlife Management, New Bussa, Bussa
10. Gashaka - Gumi National Park, Adamawa, Taraba State
11. Institute for Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University
12. Institute for Agriculture Research, Ahmadu Bello University
13. International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan
14. Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri
15. National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Shika, Kaduna
16. National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Idofian, Kwara State
17. National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Bida
18. National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan
19. National Institute For Fresh Water Fisheries Research, New Bussa
20. National Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), V/I, Lagos
21. National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike
22. National Water Research Institute (NWRI), Kaduna
23. Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin city
24. Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB), Kaduna
25. Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Abuja
Chief Ogbeh should tell NIgerians the state of affairs of these institutions; Under his
watch how he has positioned them to revolutionise agriculture and achieve food security for
Nigeria. Specifically, let him answer the following questions:
i. how much 'funds and grants have been awarded these establishments to assist in research
ii. What breakthroughs in research had been made and how had such findings boosted
agricultural output in the Country?
iii. What is the state of these research institutions?
iv. To what extent has their research findings been commercialised?
Deception No. 3
Is it not true that under Ogbeh's watch, bank lending to farming and agro-dealers nose-dived from $125 milliion to zero? What happened sir?
Deception No 4.
Is it no true that former Minister of Agriculture, Akin Adesina decentralised the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for efficiency in services like seed and fertiliser distribution? Has Ogbeh not again entangled the ministry into red tapism and bureaucracy? Let him tell us what is happening in seed and fertiliser distribution.
Deception No. 5:
so far the Fulani herdsmen frequent and violent encroachment on communities shows that our Minister of FMARD really has his head in the sky, otherwise he would have developed a position paper why herdsmen from Republics of Niger, Mali, Chad and others sees NIgeria as a fertile ground to graze their cattle. What happened to that position paper on how to reduce pressure on grazing lands that was in the offing before he took over?
Deception No. 6:
Chief Ogbeh, is it not true that Nigeria is the world’s largest cassava producer, yet we import many products that can be derived from cassava. Like wheat flour for instance,
where Nigeria spends about $5 billion a year importing wheat.
Chief Ogbeh, did not your predecessor commercialize bread made out of 20% cassava flour and 80% wheat flour? That bread is said to be better than 100% wheat flour: it has better shelf life; it is tastier; and it’s healthier, according to experts. As at 2015 over 24 big bakeries in the country were selling cassave bread.
Questions:
i. Where is that cassava bread?
ii. Did you continue with the Adesina legacy on sustaining cassava bread and cassave production?
iii. In one position paper, Adesina said he is turning cassava, a poor mans crop into a golden crop. Chief Ogbeh have you studied that position paper? Does it make sense to you? Are you implementing?
Deception No. 7:
Hon Minister sir, have you read the proposal on changing the name of FMARD to Ministry of
Agribusiness and Rural Development. As a big time commercial farmer, does it make sense to you?
What it implies is that ''going forward everybody understands that the role of the ministry is not just to help produce food; it’s to improve the processing, storage, and delivery of high quality, safe food for the population.'' Tell us if it is only graduates of Agricultural Science that can play these roles?
Deception No. 8:
Chief Ogbeh, it is said that ''An individual can catalyze change, but it takes an institution to sustain the change''
To what extent are you engaging the National Assembly to endow legitimacy to the reforms you are making? Are you even making any? Recall that owing to the success of the Growth Enhancement Scheme, GES that delivers fertilizers and seed vouchers to millions of our farmers by mobile phones – there were proposals to make it sustainable by enacting a law that no minister can change at will, did you pursue this further?
Deception No. 9:
Tell us Chief Ogbeh how producing battalions of agricultural science graduates would give confidence to the private sector to see opportunities in agribusiness so that they can bring their expertise, entrepreneurial capacity and fund to invest in the sector.
Deception No. 10
Over 50% of Nigerians live in the rural areas, and that part of the country is associated with poverty and subsistence farming, has the Hon. Minister devised models that will make even small scale farming money spinning enterprise to motivate the rural farmer, so that a fresh agriculural science graduate can be attracted to return to his/her grassroots?
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