Kwara: PDP guber aspirant pledges agric boost

From   ALI  MUHAMMAD  RABIU, Ilorin
Posted: Thursday, April 7, 2011

Kwara  state People's Democratic  Party(PDP)  governorship  candidate,  Alhaji  Abdulfatah  Ahmed  yesterday  said  if voted  into  office  as the governor of the state, his administration will  replicate  the Shonga  farms   project  in all the farming communities across the senatorial  districts  of the state to ensure  food  sufficiency.
Ahmed who  made the disclosure while  fielding questions from journalists  in Ilorin  on his  campaign across the three senatorial district in the state also  noted that the present Shonga farms  are largely  being run by  private funds. 
According to  him  the   farms  have  about  13 faming  entities  which  are divided into Dairy Poultry  farmers as well as the  mixed crop farmers  for better efficiency.
 He  said  when the farmers  came  from Zimbabwea  they  had the  expertise  and  the Skill  but they  were  assited to  secure  a loan  to  have   the capital  assets they put on the farm site to enable them secure  facilities to  run the farms.
 He  said  each  of the farmers in his  farming entity  was producing   what he knows best  at  high  yield to  be able to service the industries and  at the same time  give  out food  for local consumption.
 He  said  the  shonga   farms  have  been able to  show case  agriculture  in the country  as the federal government sees it as  a model  for  the development of agriculture  in the state. 
He  explained that  the state government had since  started  the  processes  of  training the teeming  students  of the state who  want to venture into farming  at the Malete  Youth Farms  with the aim  of  making the Shonga  farmers  transfer  both  expertise and  technology to the people  so that  they    can  assist the communities in feeding the teeming population in the state and even other parts of Nigeria. 
He  said the  dairy  farmers  in shonga  were already  collaborating  with  other  milk  processing industries  to  supply  them with milk  locally  for their industries.
 He  said  based on this  initiative the local   Fulani cattle  rearers  were also being  incorporated into the  process to  enable them  develop   their  way  of producing milk for  local  and industrial use. 
On  education,  Ahmed  said  the  idea  of   free  education  had been on ground  in the state  for the past seven  and   a half  years, adding the pupils  were not only given education free but also  given  free  core-area text book  to  read. 
 In the area   of   security,    he said  his administration  will ensure that  the police  and other  security  agencies in the state were  supported to  give the required  security  to the state in order to  attract  investors. 
He said  people can only come in and invest their  money  in  establishing companies  and other thing that will improve the economy of the state . 
He said  the state  will also encourage   private  investment initiatives  to  provide  jobs  for the teeming population in the state . 
On the areas  of health   care delivery  system  the governorship candidate  said  he has it as part  of his plan to  move the  sector to the next level.
 He  said  already  the  incumbent government has  done  a lot  in that area but that there will  be  addition to  the already  existing  facilities in the state .
 He  said  free  health care facilities will be  maintained  while  the Shonga  NHIS scheme  will be replicated in the 16  local government areas of the state . 
He said  the  primary  health  care institutions  will be   re strenghtned   and ensure that no Kwaran moved  beyond 500metres  before he can access  a health care facility. 
Ahmed said  the Seconday   health  care  providers will also  be made  to be complemented  by the primary  health  care system. 
He  noted that the tertiary  health  care  facilities  will  be  made to  also  be complemented by the secondary  service provider to  ensure that all the  health institutions are made to do their jobs  properly. 
He  assured  the people of the state that  if  voted into power the  state  will witness unprecedented  changes  that  will move the state to the level  of development the  people  of the state are yearning for.