Agriculture plays a significant role to both human and economy of a nation; that is to say, it is the backbone of a nation’s economy. In addition to providing food and raw material, it also provides employment opportunities to very large percentage of the population and it is on this account that the Gov. Bagudu led administration is turning Kebbi state into the food basket of the nation.
It is an indisputable fact, that farming creates opportunities to lift people out of poverty in developing nations. Over 60 per cent of the world’s working poor works in agriculture. Farming creates more jobs, beginning with farmers, and continuing with farm equipment makers, food processing plants, transportation, infrastructure and manufacturing. Having realised the importance of agriculture and farming, Gov. Bagudu has placed priority in developing the farming process and the agricultural produce in the last five years of his administration in the state.
There is no doubt that Bagudu’s re-election for a historic and momentous second term by the people of the state is a clear indication and testimony to the ceaseless and invaluable love the people of Kebbi State have for him in view of his tireless efforts to move the state forward especially in the area of contributing to the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state through agriculture by making life more meaningful to the farmers in the state.
Kebbi has remained the unbeatable pacesetter and trailblazer in agriculture, especially rice production with the attendant multiplier effects for the citizens, as well as the economy of the state and that of Nigeria in general.
It is no doubt that governor Bagudu’s giant achievements in agriculture, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Anchor Borrowers’ Program geared towards improving rice production. Although, the 15 billion Naira scheme is owned and financed by the Federal Government as part of President Buhari’s economic diversification agenda, to make Nigeria sustainably self-sufficient in food production, especially bolstering the rice value chain.
The Anchor Borrowers Loan Programme (ABP), under the CBN, is a loan Scheme to boost rice production that targeted 70,000 farmers. The scheme which had received the total backing of Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, even though a federal government scheme, has greatly assisted President Muhammadu Buhari’s diversification agenda, to reduce over dependence on oil, as well as assisted the country in overcoming the hitherto economic recession and the stoppage of rice importation into the Country.
The scheme which was launched and flagged off by President Buhari himself, in November 2015, in Kebbi, had achieved tremendous successes, with the political support of governor Bagudu. Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu’s administration supported the program by also providing logistics support to the Anchor Borrowers Program committee to go out to all the 21 LGAs, to capture the bio-data of all genuine benefiting farmers, in order to ensure that, the only genuine small holder farmers got the loan.
The Anchor Borrowers programme revolutionised rice farming in Kebbi to the extent that within one and a half year of launching the program, Kebbi recorded the production of almost 2 million tones of rice. It will be recalled that, the state Deputy Governor,Alhaji Samaila Dabai gave the hint when a cross section of Journalists from Nigeria visited Kebbi rice fields in 2016. The state since then, became a Jewel in the Sahara, receiving prominent visitors, ranging from Federal Government officials, to state governments top personnel who wanted to see what Kebbi has achieved in rice production.
The State became the darling of many states in Nigeria who became fascinated by Governor Atiku’s feat in rice production. The state received the first roll call from Mr Godwin Emefiele, the CBN Governor and the then Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, as well as that of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, all made several visits to Kebbi rice fields, to ascertain the success in the rice revolution recorded in the state. The program has also made many youths and civil servants who were hitherto not farmers to go back to the farms.
From 2016 to 2017, most of the pilgrims that registered to travel on holy pilgrimage to Mecca were farmers who got their money through the rice cultivation. The story did not also end here as many Kebbi farmers became instant, jubilant millionaires. The state also witnessed the influx of both foreign and local investors. Rice processors established rice mills, both big and small. Modern rice mills like Labana and Wacot established their bases in Birnin Kebbi and Argungu, respectively. Other mini ones abound in different parts of the state, such as the one in Lolo, Kamba, in Dandi local Government Area, Jega and Bunza, among others. It is on record that Oxfam, an international non-governmental organization came out to openly commend Kebbi State Government for allocating 10% of its budgetary allocation to agriculture, for over two years in a row. In 2016, N12.6 billion was allocated to agriculture and in 2017, a whopping N14 billion was further injected into the agricultural sector by Bagudu’s government.
Since the inception of the Bagudu’s administration, agriculture has been his major focus in the socio-economic programme because of its strategic importance in many areas, from rural development, economic development and job creation to critical revenue generation and job creation. The Kebbi people have generated wealth by keying into the value chain development.
Gov. Bagudu, while commiserating with farmers whose farmlands were destroyed by the flood recently, assured them of the state government’s assistance in providing improved seeds and other agricultural inputs required by the farmers, to enable them go back to their farms as soon as the flood waters receded and this is in his quest to ensure sustainability of high level of the farm produce in the state.
Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi is a Journalist writes from Kaduna
