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Nigeria’s SDG Chief Advocates Sustainable Agriculture

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The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has identified climate-smart agricultural practices as the way forward to achieving food security and sufficiency in the country.

Ms Orelope-Adefulire stated this while delivering a keynote address at the maiden conference of the School of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, Ondo State.

The theme of the conference was “Sustainable Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Wake of Food Insecurity and Migration”.

Represented by Dr Ifeanyiwa Nnamchi-Nwangu, her personal assistant, Ms Orelope-Adefulire, emphasised that climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices would help Nigeria increase agricultural yields/productivity and incomes.

She also stated that it would assist in adapting and building resilience to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are very hazardous to human, plant and animal survivability.

Ms Orelope-Adefulire said that in addition to embracing CSA, the government must ensure that research institutions are strategically and properly funded to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity.

She said that the support for research was to move towards more safe and sustainable patterns of consumption and production, improve education and raise awareness of human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

According to her, the approach will substantially reduce bribery and corruption and ensure effective collaborations among the government, private sector, academia and industry to leverage policy, research and innovations to tackle critical issues.

“In doing so, we will not only achieve food security in tandem with the SDGs but also build a prosperous and resilient nation.

“The Nigerian government is actively making efforts to address the impact of climate change through initiatives such as the Great Green Wall projects that are not only helping to restore degraded land but also contributing to biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation,” she said.

Ms Orelope-Adefulire said the federal government has put in place intervention programmes to address the challenges of food security in the country.

She highlighted the intervention programmes to include the release of grains and fertilisers to farmers, the creation of commodity boards, and the engagement of security architecture for the protection of farmers.

She also said directives had been given to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fund agricultural value chains, increase revenue for food and agricultural exports, facilitate trade, and create synergy between the ministry of agriculture and rural development and water resources to ensure irrigation of farmlands.

She, however, disclosed that her office was ready to support and partner with OAUSTECH for its commitment to “advancing knowledge in the crucial area of food security in the country.”

Earlier, Prof. Temi Ologunorisa, the Vice-Chancellor of OAUSTECH, in his welcome address, thanked the speaker for honouring the invitation of the university to deliver the keynote address at the conference.

He commended the Dean of the School of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (SAFNR), Prof. Oluyemisi Akinyemiju, for giving direction and providing the right leadership.

Nigeria Plans To Manufacture Tractors

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Local production of 2,000 tractors yearly will boost food production, the minister of agriculture and food security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said in Abuja on Friday.

It will also create jobs for farmers, especially women and youths and enhance food and nutrition security, he said in a statement issued by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, assistant director of information in the ministry.

The minister made the declaration when the Vice-President of John Deere Ltd. (a tractor manufacturing company), Jason Braintley, paid him a courtesy visit.

Mr Kyari noted that the visit was a follow-up to a meeting between Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima and top officials of John Deere Ltd. at the Oct. 24 World Food Prize Foundation Day held in lowa, U.S.A.

He said the Nigerian government would not buy the tractors but would provide the enabling environment to make them affordable to farmers on loan at low-interest rates so as to boost year-round farming.

The minister said farmers needed to form clusters or co-operatives that would buy the tractors to facilitate mechanised farming.

The farmers’ clusters or cooperatives could pay for the tractors in instalments, he explained

In his remarks, minister of state for agriculture and food security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, stressed the need to evaluate co-operatives and ascertain those requiring support to enable them to access the tractors when available.

He also emphasised the importance of identifying crops most suitable for mechanised farming.

Earlier, Mr Braintley said the company was exploring the possibility of tractor hiring or acquisition or local production, backed with after-sales services, supply of genuine spare parts and training of operators and mechanics.

The tractors, he said, would have a capacity ranging between 75 horsepower and 90 horsepower for use in different terrains.

Buhari Administration Inks Deal With John Deere

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The federal government, on Monday in Abuja, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with John Deere, Asia (Singapore) Ltd. on agricultural mechanisation to enhance food security.

John Deere Ltd. is a tractor manufacturing company.

Speaking at the event, the minister of agriculture and food security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said the partnership was to ensure that Nigerian farmers have access to affordable farm inputs.

“This is purely a partnership for the off-take for the farmers, not the government off-take.

“What the government is supposed to do is to have an environment that is very conducive for John Deere to sell the tractors to the farmers,” he said.

He said that the local production target is 2,000 tractors yearly to boost food production.

“The minimum is 2,000 tractors per year for five years as the demand increases,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria is grossly undermechanised, saying that a country with 70 million hectares of land is grossly inadequate.

In his remarks, the permanent secretary, ministry of agriculture, Ernest Umakhihe, said that the MoU is a plus for the agricultural sector.

“They (company) have purposed to invest in Nigeria to produce tractors for our farmers,” he said.

Earlier, the Vice-President of John Deere Ltd., Jason Braintley, said the partnership was critical for raising yield and food security, but also for raising farm incomes.

“So we’re very excited about that. We’re looking forward to taking it to the next step as we move to implementation,” he said.

Mr Braintley said that the company has been active in Nigeria for decades, saying, “we’ve got tractors running all the way from North to South.”

In a related development, Mr Kyari said the agriculture and food security summit, and the national council on agriculture and food security meeting scheduled to hold in November have been postponed.

He announced this to journalists at the end of the signing of the MoU between the ministry and John Deere.

Mr Kyari said the postponement was necessitated by the need to proceed without hitches on the take-off of the Dry Season Wheat Farming under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket Programme (NAGS-AP).

He said that new dates for the food summit and the council meeting would be communicated to stakeholders in due course.

Nigeria Revokes Mining Titles

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On Tuesday, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, announced the revocation of 1,633 mining titles for defaulting on payment of annual service fees.

At a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Alake said that in compliance with the law, the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO) on October 4 began revoking 2,213 titles.

“These included 795 exploration titles, 956 small-scale mining licences, 364 quarry licences and 98 mining leases,” the minister said.

He said the development was published in the federal government Gazette Number 178, Volume 110 of October 10, with a revocation notice for defaulting in paying the service fee.

The minister said that only 580 titleholders settled their debts upon the expiration of the mandatory 30 days on November 10.

“With this development, the MCO recommended the revocation of 1,633 mineral titles as follows: Exploration Licence, 536; Quarry Licence, 279; Small Scale Mining Licence, 787; and Mining Lease, 31.

“In line with the powers conferred on me by the NMMA 2007, Section 5 (a), I have approved the revocation of the 1,633 titles,” the minister said.

Mr Alake said the titles would be reallocated to more serious investors, warning the previous holders to leave the relevant cadaster immediately.

He said that security agencies would work with the mines inspectorate of the ministry to apprehend any defaulter found in any areas where titles had been revoked.

Mr Alake said it was unconscionable for corporate bodies making huge profits from mining to refuse to give the government its due by failing to pay their annual service fee.

“The amount the companies are being asked to pay is peanut compared to their revenue projections.

” For example, the holder of an exploration title pays only N1,500 per cadastral unit not exceeding 200 units. Those holding titles covering more than 200 units pay N2,000 per unit; in short, the larger the area your title covers, the more you pay,” he said.

Soludo Presents N410 Billion Budget

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On Tuesday, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra presented a N410 billion 2024 budget to the state House of Assembly for approval.

At the ceremony, Mr Soludo said the budget, tagged ‘Changing Gears: The Transformation Agenda Begins’, was to set the course for the transformation agenda and implement a new master plan to build a liveable and prosperous homeland.

The governor said the budget comprised N313.9 billion in capital expenditure, representing 77 per cent and N 96.2 billion in recurrent expenditure, representing 23.46 per cent.

Mr Soludo said the budget had a deficit of N120 billion, expected to be funded through a facility from financial institutions.

“We recorded an estimated 66 per cent budget performance in 2023, and today, Anambra is ranked number one among the 17 Southern states on ease of doing business and number two with the lowest impact mortality rate.

“Internally generated revenue remains a fundamental challenge. In the 2023 budget, we expected a monthly revenue of about N4 billion; so far, we are averaging N2 billion.

“We are projecting N4.2 billion as monthly IGR in the 2024 budget, and this is a wake-up call to all residents that we cannot build a liveable and prosperous homeland if we do not pay tax.

“With the 2024 proposed budget, we hope to consolidate ongoing projects. Our teachers, students, and the poor and vulnerable will smile because we are determined to maximise value for the people of Anambra,” he said.

Upon receiving the budget, the speaker of the House, Somtochukwu Udeze, appreciated the governor for the massive transformation projects in the state.

Mr Udeze assured that the budget would receive expeditious consideration.

The difference between the 2023 budget (N260 billion) and that of 2024 (N410 billion) is N150 billion, reflecting a 57.8 per cent increase.