*Shares 2,200 bags of fertilizer to Ebonyi North farmers
*Describes food crisis as one of Nigeria's major challenges
*Urges youths to embrace practical farming
*Tasks Agriculture Minister to sit up in the fight against food insecurity
By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi, on Friday urged President Bola Tinubu to unearth hands behind the distribution delay of about 225,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer his administration released to Nigerian farmers for the 2024 farming season across the nation.
Nwebonyi, who is the Senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, made the call while distributing over 2,000 bags of fertilizer to his constituents at Community Primary School, Isophumini Mbeke Ishieke in Ebonyi local government area of Ebonyi State.
He noted that the food crisis had become one of the major challenges facing Nigeria as a nation following the neglect of practical agriculture activities by the citizens of the country, especially the youths.
The Senator explained that the federal government gave 1,2000 bags of fertilizer to each of 109 Senatorial Districts in the country, but as a Principal Officer in the Senate, he procured 2,200 bags for his constituents to encourage them to promote food security.
Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria reportedly allocated 2.15 million bags of fertilizer worth 100 billion Naira to the Ministry of Agriculture for onward distribution to farmers in line with President Bola Tinubu's directive to release 225,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer to Nigerian farmers.
Nwebonyi however expressed regret that the fertilizer was distributed late, noting that some parts of the country, particularly Ebonyi State have started harvesting their new crops, making the farm input not fulfilling its purpose for this year's farming season.
His words: "It is no longer news that part of the problems we are facing today as a country is the food crisis because of our neglect of the agriculture sector. We should remember that in the early 60s and 70s, our country, Nigeria, became the Giant of Africa through Agriculture. But amazingly, when oil was discovered in this country, we abandoned agriculture, and that's the cause of the hunger ravaging us today.
President Tinubu's move to tackle hunger
"That's why Mr President, in his usual way of responding to the problems of Nigeria, decided to share some agriculture incentives and support farmers with farm inputs to guarantee better yield for next year so that the food crisis is a thing of the past.
"That's why Mr President, through 109 Senatorial districts across the nation, has donated 1,200 bags of fertilizer to each Senatorial zone. But as a Principal Officer, I got double, and I have to make it public; that's why I got over 2,000 bags of fertilizer. You can see others are sharing 1,200 bags of fertilizer, but I'm sharing 2,200 bags of fertilizer, and that's accountability, honesty and commitment to duty as I promised Ebonyi North people.
Personal contributions as Ebonyi North Senator in poverty alleviation
"Remember in my three months in office, I did an empowerment where I distributed over 100 motorcycles, cars and grants to individuals. If you watch what I spent two months in the office when juxtaposed with my income in two months, you agree with me that I have spent beyond my income as a Senator.
"That tells you I can go all my way to make my people happy, including injecting my personal funds. That is what I did in three months in office. I didn't stop at that because I also came home with food palliatives which were budgeted for over 6,000 households that benefited from the food palliatives. I didn't stop at that because a month later, I came with farm inputs like we did today; I gave out herbicides, liquid fertilizers, and rice seedlings - satisfied seedlings and those who planted the rice seedlings have testified that it's a satisfied one, that it's a best of its kind. I gave those things as far back as March this year.
Task before Ministry of Agriculture, collaborating institutions and Nigerians
"What I am trying to say, is if you want to give inputs to famers, give it on time to enable them to plan. It's because when you give farm inputs to farmers late, like the fertilizer the federal government is bringing now, is a bit late in this part of the country. After all, we are on the verge of harvesting our crops. So, this fertilizer would have come earlier, one or two months back.
"It's because when you give farm inputs to a farmer on time, it will help such a farmer to plan either to go for one, two or more hectares of land. But when you give the input to an intermediary, it's a problem, and in most cases, the rationale behind those inputs is usually forfeited.
"So, I want to use this medium to appreciate Mr President for supporting farmers with this incentive, by way of providing fertilizer and other farm inputs he has given to Nigerian farmers. As I said earlier, this is the only way we can fight the food insecurity we are facing today as a nation. We cannot blame Mr President, the governors, or the senators because the citizens have a role to play.
"I want to use this opportunity to call Nigerians, particularly the youth and the graduates, to see agriculture as the way to go. With agriculture, you don't need a white-collar job. As I said earlier, our morals towards agriculture are completely zero, hence the need to rethink and move towards agriculture. With agriculture, Nigeria can come back as the Giant of Africa. And I want to use this opportunity to say, the fertilizer is coming late. It's late, and the purpose will be forfeited because when you give farm inputs to farmers on time, it will help them to plan to be more realistic than giving fertilizer when they are harvesting. It's completely out of it, and I want to call Mr President to investigate the delay, in the distribution of this fertilizer. If it's from the Ministry of Agriculture or CBN, it must be investigated, because in this part of the country, particularly in Ebonyi State, when you fail to give fertilizer to the farmers between June and July, you are wasting your time. I want to apologize to the people of Ebonyi North Senatorial District for receiving their fertilizer quite late.
"We just did our new yam festival and started harvesting our yam; where are we going to use our fertilizer if not for the next farming season? So, I want to urge the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security to sit up and stop this insult - it's an insult to the Senate, and it's an insult to Nigerians.
"It means that the Minister is not serious about how he can bring fertilizer when people are already harvesting. It's uncalled for and Mr President should investigate this. Nigerians want results in all our policies and programs. If we say we are giving farm inputs to the Nigerian farmers, give them inputs between March and June to enable them to plan, not give them inputs in the middle or towards the end of the farming season.
"This is not acceptable. This is not the way to go, and we must correct ourselves. We are Nigerians, and God must not come down from Heaven to make Nigeria better. It's we, the government - the leaders and the led (followers) will do this.
"Let me use this opportunity to appeal to the Nigerians to be patient with Mr President because when you look at his policies and programs, you will see a man who is out to change our narratives as a nation.
Students' Loan
"If you look at the student loan scheme, by that program what President Tinubu has done is that he has given scholarships to all Nigerians who want to acquire tertiary education because no Nigerian will drop out of school as a result of the inability to pay school fees. That's why Mr President came on board with the student loan scheme, and Nigerian youths should take advantage of this; no President of this country ever did this, but only President Tinubu and we must appreciate it.
Import Duties
"He has done more in the agriculture sector by removing some taxes on food importation. These are practical steps Mr President has taken to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal and we urge Nigerians to support him.
Security of Nigerian farmers
"The Tenth Senate has done very well in the area of security. Within our one year in the Senate, we summoned the security chiefs, up to four times, and in this issue, we extracted from them words of commitment to providing security to Nigerians, particularly the farmers in the hinterlands.
"The bad news you just shared with us is that I believe when we resume, we are going to review the security architecture across the nation because, without security, the farmers can't go into the farm, not minding the inputs we are giving to them. It's one of the things we will look into on the first or second week of our resumption at the plenary."
