Imported User:
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is to strengthen regional and state agricultural offices to ensure the success of the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA).
Alhaji Bukar Tijani, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this on Thursday when he met with zonal and state directors of agriculture in Abuja.
He reminded them that their selection to head the regional and state offices was not by chance.
Tijani said that the ministry had procured 500 vehicles to enable them to function properly in their various stations.
He said that the ministry had thought it wise to decentralise to ensure that states participated fully in ATA.
``Your duty includes partnering with the organised private sector that is willing to partner with government at regional and state levels.’’
Tijani urged them to enlighten those who did not understand what the agenda was out to achieve at the regional and state levels.
He explained that the transformation agenda which was meant to make agriculture a veritable venture was expected to provide 3.5 million jobs.
``Although, we can create more than 3.5 million jobs under this agenda but we have to keep to what is achievable.’’
Earlier, Dr Ezekiel Oyemomi, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, stressed the need for the directors to get acquainted with the Federal Government’s agriculture policy.
Represented by Mr Chris Ene, Director, Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA), Oyemomi stressed that the need to do things differently at the state and regional levels brought about their appointments.
In his remarks, Mr Okwa Eteh, Director of Human Resources Management, observed that decentralising the ministry’s activities was to get to the grassroots.
He observed that the ministry would reinvigorate the regional and state offices in order to make the transformation agenda effective.
