From Umar Egbunu Muhammed, Lafia
At least 2,800 farmers in the Western Senatorial Zone of Nasarawa State have benefited from an agricultural intervention programme initiated by former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to tackle hunger, poverty and food insecurity in the state.
The intervention, which involved the distribution of fertilisers, modern farming implements and compensation to farmers, was inaugurated in Karu Local Government Area.
The Western Senatorial Zone comprises Keffi, Karu, Kokona, Nasarawa and Toto Local Government Areas.
Speaking at the ceremony, Adamu, convener of the IGP Group, said the initiative was designed to complement government efforts to achieve food security and improve the livelihoods of rural farmers.
“We are here to support our farmers. We are here to compensate our farmers. We are here to modernise our farming methods. We are here to introduce implements that will aid in producing more food for our people,” he said.
Adamu explained that the Karu exercise covered the entire Western Zone, adding that a similar intervention would be extended to farmers in Nasarawa North Senatorial District.
According to him, the initiative was intended to encourage farming and increase food production across the state’s 13 local government areas.
He appealed to well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations and politicians to support farmers, stressing that increased agricultural support would translate into greater food availability and lower prices.
“If you have the means, please come out and also assist the farmers. Come out of the little that you have to assist the farmers. Because when you assist them, we are going to get more food. If you have more food in the market, the food will be cheap and everybody will get it,” he said.
The retired police chief also disclosed plans to extend the intervention to women engaged in small-scale businesses and youths across the state.
“Today, we are doing this for the farmers. We have plans for the small-scale business women and the youth. We are also going to undertake that,” Adamu said.
He maintained that while the government was doing its best, it could not meet the needs of every citizen, making private-sector and individual support necessary.
“We know the government is trying its best to provide for the people of Nasarawa but we know they will never be able to do for everybody. So there is nothing that we are competing with them. We are only contributing our quota,” he added.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Western Zone, Ambassador Isaac Kugbu, represented by the state coordinator, Isah Buba, commended Adamu for the intervention.
He described the gesture as exemplary leadership and a timely initiative capable of boosting agricultural production and strengthening food security.
Speaking on behalf of farmers in the zone, Buba said, “No farmer, no food, no nation.”
He expressed appreciation to the former IGP, noting that the intervention was not his first support for farmers in the zone, as beneficiaries had continued to receive assistance from him in promoting agriculture and food security.
He urged other well-meaning Nigerians to emulate the gesture.
The chairman confirmed the presence of AFAN chairmen from the five local government areas in the Western Zone, including Nasarawa, Kokona, Karu and Keffi, led by M.S. Mariga, Mr Danyan, Ladidi Amba and Alhaji Alba respectively.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Campaign Organisation for the ex-IGP, Abdullahi Yamani, said the distribution was a deliberate grassroots intervention driven by Adamu’s commitment to humanitarian service.
He appealed to beneficiaries to make judicious use of the farm inputs and implements and refrain from selling them, stressing that sustainable development could not be achieved without a vibrant agricultural sector.
Distribution commenced immediately after the flag-off, with Toto Local Government Area taking the first turn because of its distance.
The beneficiaries, including Aisha Sani and Plandges Ibrahim-Dakahar, expressed appreciation to the organisers, describing the intervention as timely and beneficial to farmers.