In a bid to ensure food suffiency in alignment with the five point agenda of Governor Udom Emmanuel, the Special Assistant on Agriculture and Project monitoring, Mr. Moses Armstrong has opened up on his intention of training over 5000 youths on agriculture in Eket and Ikot Ekpene senatorial district in addition to the 150 youths that are under training from Uyo senatorial district.
Armstrong, disclosed this during an agro tourism expedition in his demonstration farm at the National Cereal Research Institute, Awuruta in Ibesikpo Asutan Local government where he invited Government Officials, Journalists and delegates from Federal Joint Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement of Nigerian association of Agricultural Products dealers (NAAPD).
He said the training was part of his effort to enhance Governor’s dream of eradicating poverty in the state. According to him, exposing the youths to the tenets of practical farming will encourage them to embrace commercial agriculture in the future which is in line with the five point agenda of His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel.
In his words “I want to commend my boss for the Dakkada philosophy which has re-awaken the youths of the State and for showing them that there is dignity in labour”. He further stated that the project is funded personal finance and can boldly testify that there was no financial support from source.
Today Obong University has given us 100 hectares of land and they want us to train their Students. He also stated that the Governor personally confined in him after his appointment in creating resource capacity for a post oil economy in the State. In the Governor’s words: “my government plans to refocus priority in agriculture sector as the key economic driver for realization of the State’s industrialization blue print and I have mandated you as the face of Agriculture to realize this agenda”.
This mandate has propelled my office in embarking on a recruitment and empowerment of an army of unemployed graduate youths across the three senatorial districts of the State with the prerequisite of farming techniques and a medium term strategy of empowering them with 21st century mechanize farming techniques to compete globally and boost production in commercial quantity for export.
The farm director, Mr. Emmanuel Essien who is the coordinator of Food Defense Initiative has a very good marketing network with vegetables traders in the Akwa Ibom State.
They are even begging us not to sell to others outside the State once it harvest time. We are also working with the Governor’s Special Assistant on Trade to enhance distribution of our farm produces. We are looking at the next ten years to exploit Akwa Ibom State and explore it just as Akwa Ibom produced Nigeria with oil, we can also feed Nigeria with agriculture.
Also addressing the press was Dr. Iren Johnson, Akwa Ibom State Director of Nigeria Association of Agricultural Product Dealers. He commended the Special Assistant on Agriculture and Project Monitoring, Mr. Moses Armstrong for sustaining the vision of the State Governor in engaging the youths productively.
He also thanked the Commissioner for Agriculture Dr. Charles Udoinyang who is a trained technocrat in implementation of laudable agricultural policy and programmes towards the economic diversification in the State.
He pointed out that the aim of the Association is “…committed to sustainable food security in Nigeria” and cutting multiple taxation on transporters of Agriculture products and facilitating federal loans and mechanized farm inputs for farm expansion. The tour featured inspection of paramilitary farm parade by the Governor’s aides : Mr. Essien Ndueso and Mr. Uwemedimo Umanah both Special Assistant on Media ; Mr. Godfather Uko Special , Assistant on Project Monitoring ; Mr. David Sergeant , Special Assistant on Entertainment and Mr. Ekpeno Gold, Special Assistant on Social Re-orientation.
They were there at the media outing to show solidarity to creative leadership of their colleague Hon. Moses Armstrong and mentored the graduate farmers to become good dakkada ambassadors.
They graduate farmers who were filled with excitement and motivation broke forth in joyous dakkada song for food sustainability.
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