A bill to replicate the Federal Government’s anti-poverty Social Investment Programmes in Kwara State will be sent to the Kwara State House of Assembly in the coming days, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said on Monday.
AbdulRazaq said this when he visited the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) at Jimba-Oja, in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, adding that the legislation would domesticate the Federal Government’s TraderMoni and school feeding concepts in Kwara for the benefit of the poor in the state.
“The thrust of the administration is to lift our people from poverty line and how to go about it is through agriculture. We have a goldmine in ARMTI and we will take full advantage of your resources.
“Empowerment must be from the communities and I can assure you that we’ll engage you because this week or so we are sending a Bill to the State House of Assembly to replicate the federal government’s social investment programme in Kwara,” he said.
He said the administration would also key into the Village Alive Development Initiatives (VADI) of AMRTI to empower Kwara youths and deepen participation in agriculture.
The executive director of ARMTI, Olufemi Ajayi, lauded AbdulRazaq for his commitment to development, saying the VADI had been packaged to provide local farmers with micro credits in order to boost farming in rural communities.
Speaking later at the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, the governor said his administration might revive the Patigi Rice Mill and also encourage the setting up of pando yam processing firms in the Baruten axis of the northern senatorial district as part of efforts to spread development.
“We’ll like you to visit Patigi. There is a Rice Mill there, which was built by the Sardauna government. The structure is solid and good but it’s long been abandoned. It was the first Rice Mill in Northern Nigeria. So, we want to bring it back instead of going to China to bring equipment. Give us a proposal to see what you can do (in this regard),” he said.
The governor said the Baturen/Kaiama axis of Kwara North was known for yam production and establishing a small-scale pando yam processing firm would boost the economy of the area.
In his remarks, the executive director of NCAM, Muyideen Kasali, said the centre had the mandate to test and certify agricultural equipment in the country.
Kasali, who was represented by the director of engineering, Power and Machinery of the centre, Kamaldeen AbdulGafar, expressed displeasure that Kwara had not taken full advantage of the agency, calling on Governor AbdulRazaq to partner the institution for mutual benefits.
