A federal Lawmaker Oladipupo Adebutu has suggested to the federal government to prioritise the review of the Land Use Act in order to encourage Agricultural diversification.
This would assist in proper integration of over 70 percent of Nigerian rural farmers into federal government’s diversification programme.
The Lawmaker who chairs the House Committee on Rural Development said at the Integrated Rural Development Conference in Abuja on Tuesday that many rural farmers had been hindered through formalizing their agricultural activities, and not having access to loan facilities to raise their agribusiness their ownership of their indigenous land is limited, as all lands belong to the state according to the Act.
He said,”We have to do something about the land use Act. It is retarding rural development .Land resource ought to be money,but the rural people who own and farm in the land are hindered because of the Land Use Act. For instance, you are required to have a C of O before you get facilities from the Bank. For you have to have C of O, you have to have survey plans, pay charges among others.”
“We must find a way to mainstream the rural land resource into economic activities for proper integration of the rural people,otherwise,we cannot make head sway in our diversification drive in the sector”The federal Law maker represented by Ehi Uwaefo,his special adviser of Legal matters said.
The Lawmaker also decried the paltry allocation of the N118 billion in Agriculture from the N8.6 trillion proposed 2018 budget estimates by President Muhammadu Buhari ;saying that the government has not supported the diversification,as much as it talked about it.
Also speaking, Masiru Ladan, the director general of National Directorial of Employment,represented by Patrick Chukwujekwu said the agency has designed some programme targeted at empowering farmers with modern skills for their agribusiness.
He said,the agency is also synergising with the National Assembly to provide training for youths in various skills ,while the Legislators empower them with some funds to start up their business while practising what they learnt.
In his remarks, Obodozie Christian Uchechukwu,the managing director of Rural Community Projects who is the convener of the Integrated Rural Development Conference says the their key focus is to ensure that government and interventionist agency’s projects have the right kind of impact on the rural community.
“The rural area is the key in driving unemployment out of the country,and of national integration and development.Over 70 percent of our farmers are in the rural area,and we want them to get the right kind of support for their agricultural venture”
