Agriculture: The Katsina State experience
Let’s resuscitate agriculture
The 16 years of PDP rule in Katsina State cannot be trivialised but an in-depth analysis of the effect of the period will set the agenda for the APC government.
It is noteworthy that the eight years of the late Umar Musa Yar’adua recorded some degree of human development.
The eight-year rule of Barr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema, however, was a mix grill of futuristic infrastructural development and a reversal of the human development recorded by his predecessor.
The personalisation of governance and instruments of office in Shema’s administration has caused a lot of apathy in the public service and disdain for government by the vast majority of Katsina people.
The development agenda for the APC government of the state is informed by the choice of “Restoration” as the imperative for Dallatu’s tool for “Change” is instructive and poignant.
The identification of “Quick wins” in an effort to bring immediate respite to the people is the overriding imperative.
The twin development pillars of agriculture and education shall be the focus of this administration in the first six months.
The prioritisation of “Agricultural value chains”, “incentivising teachers” and quality “teacher recruitment drive” as well as the provision of modules for teaching will be given prime position.
The criteria for the drivers of these development pillars will be integrity, competence and hard work.
The dispassionate pursuit of this sequential development programme will be unpopular but absolutely necessary.
Arc. Kabir IBRAHIM, Mnia
STAKEHOLDER Sir, I would like to use this opportunity to express my feelings on the relationship between flow of new information through research to extension workers up to farmers for adoption. This link which I think is not active now in Nigeria, will be appreciated by people in the agricultural value chain and can also boost agricultural production which will help Nigeria’s economy in general. I urge governors of the 36 states of the federation and all local government chairmen to devote a lot of resources towards enhancing agricultural production in the country.
Jamilu Hassan can be reached on jamzhas@gmail.com