Nation
Agriculture To The Rescue
Who says something good will not come out of the current economic crisis in the country? If not for anything, the dwindling oil revenue has forced many people and indeed the nation in general to consider going back to agriculture. Before the discovery of oil in 1958, agriculture was the country’s economic mainstay with different regions boasting of different cash crops like groundnut, cocoa, rubber palm oil produce and many more, thus making agriculture a main source of employment, income and foreign exchange earnings for the nation.Today, with its abundant arable land and over 160 million people, Nigeria cannot feed its citizens not to talk of exporting to other lands. Successive administrations at both federal and state levels have claimed to be investing in agriculture with little or noting to show for it. Rather, the country has become one of the largest importers of food in the world. All kinds of good items from all over the world find their way into the Nigeria. We import wheat, sugar, fish, milk, vegetables, fruits, rice and other food items which could be abundantly produced locally.
Incidentally, the constant plummeting of the naira has sky-rocketed the prices of virtually every item in the market. The result is that many Nigerians today go hungry. The recent stories of how people steal cooked food, abandon their children at shops in exchange for food items are indications of how bad the situation has become. And the only remedy is agriculture. Some stakeholders in the agriculture sector have posited that with over 79 million hectares of arable land, diversified ecological conditions, abundant water resources and adequate rainfall and sincere commitment by government, poverty, joblessness, and hunger will be completely eliminated in the country.That is why the effort of some state governments towards improving agriculture must be commended. Sometime in 2016, Benue state government approved the declaration of every Friday as a work-free day to enable workers in the state work in their farms.
The objective was to enable as many workers as possible to produce food to feed their families, given the economic downturn in the country which has made regular payment of salaries in some of the states of the federation a major challenge. This is indeed a good initiative which should be emulated by other governors. They have a lot to do to steer their states away from the monthly handouts from Abuja. Virtually every state in the country is blessed with one natural endowment or the other, which if properly harnessed and utilised will impact positively on the people. Why then do our governors wait on Abuja for handout?
The point is, now that there is no money in the country even to pay salaries, our leaders should think of ways of harnessing our natural resources to make life better for the country. It is high time we began to think of life without crude oil. We succeeded without oil before, we can do it again. Let every state governor encourage their people to go back to agriculture. Reports have it that many civil servants in Ekiti State have toed the Benue line by returning to their villages to farm. Anambra and Akwa Ibom states are also said to be presently producing tomatoes in very large qualities. That is the way to go.
Many countries had used a similar situation we are in now to turn their fortunes around and we can do it if only we are able to reduce our dependence on crude oil and focus on other lucrative sectors like agriculture.
Government should therefore, encourage farming by providing modern farming implements to farmers to boost their production. A situation where most farmers still rely on crude farming implements like hoes and cutlasses is most discouraging.
Farmers who are willing to expand their farms often complain of lack of support from banks. Unless this problem is solved and provision of soft loans to farmers is made possible, our dream of having a thriving agriculture sector may not be realised.
Recall that some Benue State civil servants at a point formed cooperatives, and loans were given to only groups that had verifiable farms. Such measures should be adopted by other states to ensure that only real farmers and those truly interested in farming received support.
Provision of power, accessible roads and good transport system is also paramount. Many farm products perish in villages due to non-availability of access roads and transport system to bring them to the cities’ consumers. And yet, there is no storage facilities.
There is indeed need for federal, states as well as individuals to show more commitment to agriculture if the on-going hunger in the land will be quelled. The time of paying lip service to agriculture ought to be over. Individual cooperative societies, clubs and other stake holders should invest in agriculture. This will not only assure on adequate food supply in the country, but will also create jobs for our teeming unemployed youths, reduce rates of social vices and crimes associated with unemployment.
However, one thing is certain, without peace and security in our rural communities there can be no development.
Farming and other agricultural activities which largely take place in the villages cannot thrive if the constant killings, kidnapping, cult war, Boko Haram activities, cattle rearers’ disturbances and other crimes perpetuated in our communities are not curtailed.
Nigeria can regain her pride as the food basket of Africa if the right measures are taken to revive the agriculture sector. President Buhari promised during his electioneering campaign that he would pay adequate attention to agriculture. The time to do that is now, so that Nigerians can have food to eat.
by: Calista Ezeaku
The Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr Chioma Ejikeme, has reiterated the commitment to service delivery for pensioners.
Ejikeme said this during the Customer Service Week in Abuja, yesterday.
He said that commission had a mandate to deliver good service delivery to the pensioners.
Ejikeme, who was represented by the Director Civil Service Pension Department, Mr Kabir Yusuf, said that the customer service week was important to operations of PTAD.
“Customer service is the support that you give to a customer, whether it is an existing customer or potential customer in the process of delivering or making enquires about a service.
“To be a good customer service representative you need to be knowledgeable, have good attitude and attribute especially to the senior citizens and have empathy,” he said.
Ejikeme said that all PTAD staff had most of the attributes of a good customer representative.
“We provide excellent customer service by going to verify our aged pensioners who cannot do it by themselves anywhere across the country.
“There is a dedicated team that was mandated to go round to confirm the aliveness of those who can not confirm their aliveness either because the are too old or have health issues,” the executive secretary said.
The National Coordinator, SERVICOM, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, said that the official theme of the 2024 customer service week was “ We Go Above and Beyond For Our Customers.”
She commended PTAD and the SERVICOM team for organising the 2024 customer service week.
“This is in line with the best practice of celebrating frontline workers and service takers.
“Customer service week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October.
It calls attention to the importance of people to boost morale team work and departmental collaboration in supporting pensioners.
“ It is a platform to reward employees for the significant work they do,” Akajemeli said.
She said that the objective of the customer service week was to celebrate the hard work and dedication of employee who strived to create positive customer experiences.
She said that it was time to show customers that the organisation valued their experience and feedback, through comment cards, dedicated hotline, among others.
Akajemeli said that it raised awareness internally and externally about the importance of good customer service in building customer loyalty and satisfaction.
She said that the benefit was to increase motivation, show appreciation, encourage friendly competition, boost employee retention, create a positive workplace and increase productivity.
The Head, Surveillance Department at the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr Abdulrahman Saleem, said that good service delivery was the key success of every establishment.
Salem said that PTAD operated with standard, considering the success it had achieved so far.
Saleem said that pensioners required the best service attitude and behavior.
“ I give kudos to PTAD for its efforts and encourage it to do more.
“Therefore I urge PTAD staff to keep up the standard and continue to give good service to the pensioners,” he said.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has honoured Flying Officer David Sangokoya for winning the 2023/2024 Royal Air Force College Cranwell International Cadet Sword of Honour.
Abubakar honoured the officer during the presentation of cheques to 13 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy (GPAIP) in Abuja, yesterday.
He described the achievement as ground-breaking as it was the first time an African cadet had won the prestigious award since the Academy’s creation over 100 years ago.
According to him, the feat underscores the excellence that exists within NAF, and proof that NAF officers and cadets can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
“To our awardee, you have set a new standard, not just for your peers, but for every cadet and officer that will come after you.
“This accomplishment is a powerful reminder that no goal is out of reach when one is armed with dedication, discipline and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
“Your journey as an officer has begun with this prestigious accolade, but the true measure of your success will be seen in how you serve, lead and contribute to the mission of NAF and the defence of our great nation.
“As we celebrate this historic occasion, we extend our deepest gratitude to the United Kingdom Government for its unwavering support in providing world-class training opportunities to our personnel.
“This has enabled our officers and men to gain invaluable skills and knowledge, strengthening not only our bilateral ties but also our collective ability to address global security challenges,” he said.
The CAS said that the NAF looked forward to continuing the fruitful partnership for the mutual benefit of Nigeria and UK countries.
He expressed gratitude and unflinching loyalty to President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the welfare and training of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and NAF in particular.
“I must also take a moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Defence Academy and the instructors who helped to mould and prepare this cadet for the global stage.
“Their dedication and commitment to developing top-notch officers is evident in this ground-breaking achievement.
“You have not only trained a leader but have given the Nigerian Air Force a legacy we will all cherish,” he said.
National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has advocated private sector involvement to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, made the call at a high-level policy dialogue on sustainable health system reforms in Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.
The Tide’s source reports that the dialogue was organised by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), a coalition of private sector stakeholders, to address the multifaceted challenges plaguing the country’s healthcare system.
The dialogue has “Private Sector Support for SWAP (Sector Wide Approach) in Healthcare” as its theme.
Represented by Dr Yakubu Agada-Amade, the NHIA Director of Standards and Quality Assurance, Ohiri explained the crucial role of private sector collaboration in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system
He highlighted the “One Plan” under the SWAp framework, which seeks to unify health sector efforts, ensuring efficient resource use, effective governance and expanded healthcare access.
He also stressed the importance of overcoming barriers that historically hindered the implementation of healthcare interventions in Nigeria, such as inadequate financing, weak governance systems, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He added that “the dialogue explored innovative approaches, including digital health innovations and financing mechanisms to accelerate the implementation of the National Health Act and mandatory health insurance coverage.
“With enrollment in health insurance growing by 14 per cent over the past year, NHIA can push for greater inclusivity, particularly targeting the informal sector through flexible payment systems and partnerships with telecommunications companies.”
He called for stronger synergy between public and private health actors to ensure universal access to quality healthcare and sustainable reforms in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
Panelists from the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) and Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) echoed the sentiments, underscoring the private sector’s role in expanding insurance coverage and improving healthcare delivery.
They commended NHIA’s efforts toward driving reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).
