Benin, Nigeria – The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for next month’s governorship election in Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has promised to declare a state of emergency in the agricultural sector if elected governor.
Okpebholo made the promise during a meeting with members of the Edo State chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Benin City.
Okpebholo, who said he was a son of a farmer and also from an agrarian community, noted that the only way to address food insecurity in the state and in the country was to declare a state of emergency in the agricultural sector.
He said his administration would not only provide loans to real farmers in the state, but would also provide modern farming equipment and techniques to boost food production.
The APC gubernatorial candidate also promised that his administration would change the narratives of the farming system away from only raining season to the dry season, noting that the state was blessed with arable land suitable for the cultivation of all food crops on-year-round.
Okpebholo, who is the incumbent senator representing Edo Central senatorial district in the national assembly, said that farming activities could not be carried on without security, and noted he would also tackle insecurity headlong.
According to him, “I want to tell you that good news is coming to Edo State. In the next four years, all of you will smile and be happy in this state.
“This is because our government will give loans to farmers. Since you said you are already in cooperatives, we are going to give you people loans to farm.
“It is not a loan of deception like you have known in the past seven years in the state. It is not a loan promised only for you to get nothing at the end of the day.
“Ours are genuine loans and not a scam.
As a son of a farmer, I used to follow my father to the farm when I was young.
“For us to tackle food insecurity we must empower both subsistence and mechanised farmers.
“We are going to provide them with modern farming equipment, inputs and also build their capacity on modern farming techniques to make farming easy and more profitable.
“If we are going to develop agriculture we must also tackle insecurity because if there is no security farmers won’t go to farms,” he said.
The gubernatorial candidate also promised to establish a fertiliser factory in the state to boost food production, job creation for youths and internally generated revenue.
Earlier, Bako Dogwo, the State chairman of AFAN, said his organization had more 40,000 registered members.
He appealed to the governorship candidate to provide the association with tractors, machines and other implements for agricultural revolution in the state if elected.
“Farmers should also be allowed to access loans/grants from the state government in order to fight the rampage of hunger that is now ravaging the whole country,” he stated.
He, however, demanded that anybody to be appointed Commissioner for Agricultural and Food Security must be a registered farmer with AFAN.
