The chief of army staff (COAS), Lt General Faruk Yahaya has tasked Nigerian Army personnel to key into the federal government’s policy on food security and embrace modern farming techniques to address the economic challenges facing the country.
The COAS stated this in Abuja while declaring open the Nigerian Army Farmers and Ranchers Limited (NAFARL) Poultry Management workshop with the theme, “Gaining an Edge in Poultry Business.”
The COAS who was represented by the chief of logistics Nigerian Army, Major General Omotomilola Akintade said he approved the conduct of the workshop in order to key into the federal government policy on food security and to rekindle the effort of the Nigerian Army at providing viable and sustainable agricultural programmes and ventures through effective farming and ranching.
He said NAFARL was established to spearhead the Nigerian Army involvement in the federal government agricultural programme and expose the Nigerian Army to agriculture and its full value chain.
“The aim is to showcase poultry business in the Nigerian Army as one of the quick impact projects and to address the economic challenges facing the country,” he said.
He added, “Since my assumption of office as the COAS, NAFARL has recorded tremendous successes and achievements in the provision of basic food items as well as Research and Development into modern farming and ranching techniques.”
The COAS said he gave the workshop top priority because “it has the potential to greatly assist in capacity building of personnel towards effectively contributing towards the Federal Government agricultural revolution with the aim of ensuring food security”.
The COAS hoped that NAFARL would showcase the effort of the Nigerian Army in contributing to economic growth through non-kinetic approach.
“I have no doubt that the contents of the workshop will broaden the horizon and further stimulate the appetite of participants in contemporary poultry business and agricultural global trends,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the executive director NAFARL, Major General Mike Durowaiye said the workshop will assist in capacity building of personnel towards venturing into poultry business as a tool for self-sustaining and mitigating unemployment and food challenges in the Nigerian Army.
He added that the workshop will help broaden the horizon and further stimulate the appetite of participants in contemporary poultry management.
“The theme is in tandem with one of the objectives of NAFARL which is to contribute to national gross domestic product through agricultural best practices. Thus, this workshop will provide a forum to prepare both serving participants and others about to exit the service for life in retirement through participation in agricultural activities and its numerous value chain,” he said
