The Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, has lamented that the crisis rocking the Nigeria Governors’ Forum has stalled the realisation of its peer review objectives.
The governor made the observation in his response to a request by the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development during a visit that states should compare notes on areas of comparative advantage.
According to Governor Ahmed: “Politicisation of the forum has denied it the opportunity of a robust review of commercial agriculture development programme of the state.”
Dr Ahmed, who suggested that funding windows for agriculture must take cognisance of the dynamics of commercial agriculture, added that the prevailing funding policies were counterproductive as they were designed to fund subsistence farming.
According to the governor: “It is imperative that stakeholders see commercial agriculture as a business in a manner that would ensure that the country takes advantage of its natural endowments to promote all year farming.”
Describing agriculture as a singular potential that can effectively change the fortunes of the people, if properly harnessed, the governor urged the National Assembly to formulate policies that would address the disconnect between policy formulation and implementation and poor funding of agriculture.
Earlier, the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Adegbenga Sefiu-Kaka, commended the giant stride of Ahmed’s agricultural revolution, which he said other state governments should emulate.
Sefiu-Kaka said: “We have been following events in Kwara and we are happy and impressed with what we see on ground.
“We commend you and want to urge you not to relent in your effort to turn the state to an agricultural hub so that other states would copy you and thereby ensure food sufficiency and security.”
Crisis has stalled NGF’s peer review objectives – Ahmed
