By Cross Udo, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Abubakar, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure that Nigerians must not experience food shortages as a result of the devastating effects of the flood.
The Minister disclosed this while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Abubakar also said that farmers that have insurance coverage will be adequately compensated to ensure that they did not feel the effect of the huge loss they incurred due to the flood menace, while succour will also come for those without insurance coverage.
This came just as the FEC approved the variation in the contract for repairs of the East-West road, from an initial N240bn to N506bn because of the recent havoc caused by flood on the road.
Asked about the efforts of the government to ensure that the country did not witness food shortage, the Minister said, “First of all, let me categorically state that we cannot stop the flood. It’s a natural phenomenon, but sometimes being exacerbated by our actions or inactions, that is human interference in the environment.
“So, if we cannot stop it, but we can focus, we can get ready, we can move things and people, properties, we can avoid putting things in the floodplain, especially if there is this prediction and that has been going on.
“Predicting works with several agencies, one of them being NIMET that can tell us the prediction of how much rain we’re expecting in a particular year. But occasionally, there’s also the release of water from dams. All these people are one. But sometimes nature, being what it is, even after being warned, if you don’t move in time, it may come even sooner or later, all of these.
“So, all of that said and done, currently, yes, some of the areas are still submerged, but we have started assessing how much damage has been done, the area’s flooded, how much crops have been destroyed, had been damaged. The assessment is ongoing. We’re also using our remote system satellite to assess areas, we have preliminary data, but we do not have all of it.
“Number three, for farmers especially, we always encourage farmers to take insurance, there are farmers that have taken insurance. So now is the time for compensation after we finish all the assessments.
“Number four, the government will always have a plan of action or emergency response, just like this. What can the government do? What can the government do also to compensate those that don’t have insurance? Not compensation, but assistance, come to the aid. We have that plan and we’re already activating it, pending on we’ll finish all the assessments.
“What are we doing to avert food shortage? Number one, first and foremost, we have in place an intensive plan for dry-season farming. We have gotten funding from the African Development Bank, and we have some money in our provision, IFAD, which is the International Fund for Agricultural Development also just donated or granted, if you will, $5m.
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“So, we have some money that we are already planning to do dry season farming. Also, in areas of conflict, we are recruiting additional rangers. I told you in another forum that we have Agro Rangers that provide some measure of security on farmlands. We are recruiting more to do that.
“Also, we are intensifying farming in areas that have no conflict to make up for those areas to we are getting little or no access. So the thing is the government, Mr. President, has specifically directed that we do everything humanly possible to make sure there is no food shortage in the country and I can tell you, there will not be any food shortage.
“Between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Central Bank, and other private investors in agriculture, there are enough grains in our silos, in CBN and silos, that will cater for any eventualities and currently, the Humanitarian Ministry is picking up some grains from us to distribute to the needy. So I can assure you, by the grace of God, there will be no food shortage.”
Asked to give the preliminary costs concerning the damage by flooding as contained in the report, he said, “Definitely, it’s telling us that yes, we have lost some farmlands. For example, I can give you one. The Olam, which is a private organization, has a rice mill that has been submerged, about 4000 hectares.
“So, there are farmlands that are damaged. But what are we going to do, like I said, it’s to use dry season farming to compensate for this loss? We are planning to even produce twice during this dry season farming for some of the crops.”
In the memo he presented to the council, the minister said, “Today the Federal Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development presented a memo on the Revised Comprehensive Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Nigeria, (the Animal Component).
“If you’ll recall, bird flu has been something that we see and hear about in Asia, but of course, in 2006, Nigeria experienced the very first one and at the time, we lost about 1.2 million birds, chicken.
“This is a highly pathogenic viral infection that is so contagious and Zoonotic, meaning it can go from animals to humans and can cause death and can cause sickness. So the previous policy was put together by experts back in 2005, to contain, quickly, any kind of outbreak of bird flu.
“But the sector has grown so much with additional importation of maybe new and exotic birds. Therefore, the need to revise this policy and produce a new one that will conform to the current happenings in the industry.
“That is why this new policy is being put forward by the ministry and it’s the same, I mean, it’s called the Comprehensive Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan to contain any future occurrence.
“This industry an industry that has grown to have a population of over 165 million birds and is an industry of about N1.6 trillion. This industry also is largely populated by rural dwellers, about 70 per cent.
“So, the objective here is to make sure we have a robust preparedness plan, that in case of any additional outbreak, even currently, we have sporadic periodic outbreaks that are plaguing the industry, which is why we have to upgrade to make sure we’re always ready to move on.
“The addition to this new policy, also, is the establishment of centres that will cater for issues of compensation to poultry farmers in the country. This is basically what the new policy is all about and has just been approved by the Federal Executive Council.”
*FEC approves N506bn variation for failed East-West Road
Also, briefing, the Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said: “First, he (Fashola) presented a memo that shows the federal government’s continued engagement in bringing succour and resolving issues around the recent flooding.
“He got approval for the variation order in respect of repair works on the East-West Road project affected during the recent flooding occurrences in the Niger Delta.
“So the approval was for a variation order for the East-West road project sections 1-4 from Warri to Port Harcourt, Eket, Oron, including Oron-Eket bypass in the sum of N260bn, thereby increasing the total contract sum for the outstanding sections 1-4 of the East-West Road projects from the sum of formerly N246bn to N506bn.”
The council also approved the total sum of N140bn for roads in the Yobe and Jigawa states.
Akande said, the Ministry of Works and Housing also got approval for the award of contracts for the urgent repairs, and special general maintenance of a few roads nationwide. “This includes the construction of Gogora Guru Road in Yobe state, in the sum of N40 billion, with a completion time of 36 months.
The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Olorunnimbe Mamora said, “The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, presented a memo to the council in respect of public-private partnership brought by one of our agencies, and that’s the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).
“Of course, NASRDA is the space agency. The memo essentially is to secure a partnership on the upgrade, equipping, operating, and marketing of the Space Museum, and planetarium. That is essentially what it’s all about, and the buildings meant for this project had been in place since 2018. But because of the non-availability of funds to put the necessary equipment in place that project has been stalled.”
