Farmers decry bureaucracy on agric policies
Aero Contractors Airline yesterday gave out 10 return flight tickets to members and officials of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Sokoto State.
The Sokoto-Abuja or Lagos tickets were given to six corps members who emerged winners at this year’s NYSC beauty pageant sponsored by the airline.
The contestants were drawn from 10 platoons with fashion parades and a quiz.
Speaking at the event, the Station Manager of Aero Contractors, Alhaji Abdulmalik Jubreen, said the gesture was another way of showing appreciation to corps members flying the airline.
Jubreen who described the airline as NYSC-friendly, added that the airline supported the event as part of its social responsibility.
“Our target is to encourage the camping corps members to also fly the airline. We are targeting no fewer than 3,000 corps members as our potential passengers. It is also our way of saying thank you to our valuable customers, especially the corps members who are taking the advantage of our friendly air fares and other services,” he said.
He added that the tickets offered with six months validation period would enable beneficiaries fly its schedule aircraft on economy class from Sokoto to either Abuja or Lagos, depending on their choice of destination. The Nigeria Farmer’s Group and Cooperative Society (NFGCS) has appealed for less bureaucracy in the implementation of government’s policies on agriculture.
The National Coordinator of the Group, Retson Tedheke, made the appeal yesterday while addressing newsmen after a tour of the group’s 1000 hectare farm in Gaati, along the Keffi-Akwanga road in Nasarawa State.
Tedheke identified challenges before Nigerian farmers as slow response of government agencies to farmers’ needs.
He said while expecting government agencies like the CBN to intervene in their farming activities, the group had decided to start ploughing and cultivating with the little resources available.
“If we wait for them, the season will come and go and as you know, farming depends on seasons and rains. For CBN to give money to commercial banks before giving it to farmers at cutthroat interest rates is a great disservice. What is wrong with the CBN coming to the farm site to inspect what is on ground, if they are satisfied, they can now go ahead and allocate resources based on what they have seen, instead of giving it to commercial banks?” he said.
He charged the CBN, through the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System For Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), to intervene in good time so that Nigeria can reduce the huge food import bills.
The winners include; Isika Ijeoma who emerged as Miss Camp, Iormua Queen as 2nd Runner Up, Chukwuma Chinemerem Ongedikachi won Mr. Macho, Aghagba Ewomazino as Miss Ebony, Fagbaye Quelus won Mr. Ebony while Miss Orobo went to Ayannaga Ifeoluwa Blessing
In her remarks, Miss Camp, Isika Ijeoma, on behalf of the winners, thanked the management of Aero Contractors for organising the event, adding that the gesture was a clear indication of the management of the airline to the ideals of their corporate social responsibility.