The Delta Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon Misan Ukubeyinje has charged students and every adult to own a farm to enable Nigeria achieve food security. He noted that agriculture was the only profession that one does not need to have a degree in agriculture to become a participant, adding that everyone ought to own a farm primarily to address food shortages in the country.
Ukubeyinje, stated this when Mrs Excellence Emuobo-Miller, Programme Director, Hidden Treasures 4Real, the organiser of the “Delta Beyond Oil” Essay Writing and Speech Competition led the 12 qualified students for the finals on a courtesy visit in Asaba. The commissioner said that agriculture remains a focal point in thestate agenda of Delta beyond oil, adding that it provides opportunities in various areas like crop cultivation, animal rearing, aquaculture, horticultures, transportation, processing, raw materials and marketing.
He noted that if every government would invest its oil revenue to promote all these aspects of agriculture as in the bold steps taking by the Delta government it would mean more food and employment for the people.
“This is why it has remain the greatest employer of labour especially in the developing countries where the sector has not been fully mechanised. “The state government has adopted the ‘Delta Beyond Oil’ as strategy to achieve its three points agenda of Peace and security, human capital development and infrastructural development. “So, to do this, agriculture is very strategic and the state government has been investing part of its revenue from oil directly and through partnership with the Federal Government and other international bodies into agriculture.
“I charge you to own small farms in your schools and you must encourage your parents to have a farm too,” Ukubeyinje said. Ukubeyinje said that the state was concentrating in the areas where it has comparative advantages like cassava, oil palm, aquaculture, maize, rice production among others.
He assured that the state government would make the sector attractive to the youths especially the graduates of agriculture. The commissioner handed over some literature on the activities of the ministry and charge the students to take interest in agriculture and to work hard in life.
Earlier, Emuobo-Miller sated that the state agenda of Delta Beyond Oil was no longer a phenomenon but a reality. She said that the children have come to learn more on the role of Agriculture in the state agenda of Delta beyond oil, adding that the lessons learnt would aid them in the final competition that would be coming up soon.
According to her, the essay competition on “Delta Beyond Oil” started on October 2013 where 112 secondary schools across the state with 224 students participated. “At the end of the various stages these 12 students before you emerged and are qualified for the finals. “As part of our preparations for the final competition, the students are expected to interact with some commissioners that have direct bearing with “Delta Beyond Oil projects”. Responding, Miss Blessing Okoturo of Kezina International Academy, Effurun, thanked the commissioner and advised that the ministry should ensure proper education and information dissemination to the rural farmers.
Our correspondent reports that the commissioner responded to all the questions from the students on the sector’s relevance to the subject matter. The competition was organised in collaboration with the State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.
