President Muhammadu Buhari, Monday July 19, inaugurated the first National Agriculture Land Development Authority (NALDA) integrated farm estate in Suduje Daura, Katsina State, with a pledge that Nigeria, under his watch, would achieve food security. He restated his administration’s commitment to the goal of ensuring that “Nigeria produces what Nigerians will eat and eating what the country produces.”
The president also restated that the government was determined to get 100 million Nigerians out of poverty during his tenure, stressing that he would continue to drive policies that will ensure food sufficiency and boost exports.
While emphasizing that the revamp of NALDA was geared towards encouraging integrated farming for employment and security, he said his goal of getting 100 millions out of poverty was realizable. “No excuse is good enough for not achieving it”, he said.
The integrated farm estate is made up of 40 poultry pens with a capacity of over 400,000 birds, and fish ponds with a capacity of 200,000 fish. There also will be cow and goat pens with a capacity of 500 animals; rabbit pens producing 3,000 rabbits, a bee apiary that can give 540 litres of honey per harvest and crop farming. According to NALDA’s Executive Secretary, Prince Paul Ikonne, the farm “is expected to generate over N1.7 billion in the first year.”
The project’s main financier is the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Its governor Godwin Emefiele, said on the occasion that the Katsina farm would be replicated across the country to “provide affordable and accessible finance to farmers in Nigeria’s rural communities and provide jobs for its teeming population.” While commending the Buhari administration for resuscitating NALDA to optimally deliver on its mandate, Emefiele noted that Nigeria’s survival as a country was hinged on the resourcefulness and synergy among the government’s ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in areas of policy formulation and implementation, which he emphasized was essential to the attainment of Nigeria’s desired economic growth.
As laudable as the project is, what with its huge potential for diversifying the economy, opponents of the present Buhari government see no good in it. The problem is that they are not concerned with its viability and sustainability, but rather why the choice of Daura, the President’s home town. It makes sense though to ask the question: why not site the estate in any other state than Katsina, so that Buhari would not be accused of selfishness. The answer is simple. Katsina was the only state that offered a 100 hectare land to NALDA. No other state did.
Second, it makes political sense that a pet project like this should be located in an APC state where community support is strong. Citing it in an opposition state would only be suicidal because it would be like handing your enemy a machete to cut off your head. Third, there is a plan to replicate the success of the project, if it happens, “across the country” as the CBN governor has assured. Let’s wait to see whether it is a success or not. If it fails, that will be the time to bring out the long knives. But not before then.
