[b][/b]Governors in the South-West Zone, under the aegis of Western Nigeria Governors’ Forum, met on Wednesday in Lagos and resolved to embark on a Rice Accelerated Programme for Integrated Development (Western RAPID) to further consolidate actions on food security and job creation in the region.The governors agreed to commit portions of land to the Lagos State Government to farm and promote rice cultivation and production in the region.Their decisions were contained in a communique issued after the quarterly meeting which had the theme – ‘Consolidating the Legacy of Regional Integration’, and read by Mr Oluseye Oyeleye, the newly appointed substantive Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission. The leaders resolved that DAWN Commission, representatives and agriculture commissioners from each state, should hold a technical session with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and develop a state by state roadmap in four weeks before a Regional Agriculture Summit.
They agreed that the Summit be held in Ibadan in May.However, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding MoU on Land Allocation between the western states and Lagos, the Ogun state government said it would not sign until some issues between the two states were resolved. The state’s Deputy Governor, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, who represented Gov Ibikunle Amosun, said the Lagos State government abandoned the 1000 hectares of land given to it for its rice production project.

”Also the Lagos state government defaulted in the remittances of the taxes of over 23 percent of its workers who reside in Ogun state. ”The Rice Accelerated Program for Integrated Development is a laudable project that we support in total but we will sign the MoU when these concerns are resolved, ” she said. Reacting, Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode said the idea behind the MoU on land allocation was to expand the agricultural output of the state’s rice mill. Ambode said that the state required 32000 hectares for paddy cultivation and in the interest of integration, the project would be beneficial to all the states in the South West. According to him, Lagos state will be like ‘off-takers’ to the paddies while the other state will use their people and farmers to cultivate the land thereby creating employment and wealth in those states and the region. ”Four other states have actually agreed to sign the MoU. But what happened with Ogun state is that there are some minor issues that were outstanding before.

”They could not sign today, but you can also hear them say they are committed to signing when those issues are resolved. So, four have signed remaining one state. ”The ultimate goal is that all the western states would sign and be able to feed into the rice mill that Lagos state is locating in Imota area of Ikorodu, ” he said. The governors also agreed that Lagos State be formally admitted as a member of the O’dua Investment Group. A shareholding agreement was also signed between the O’dua Investment Group and the state government.

They also agreed that the states of the region as a bloc would be monitoring the process for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Concession into a world-class infrastructure. The governors agreed that DAWN Commission should work on reviving Regional Inter-School Football Competition. They also directed the Commission to conduct a study on the successes in education recorded in Ekiti State for peer learning and adoption among the other states. The host governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, earlier in his opening remarks, said there was the need for collaboration in tackling social and economic challenges facing the people. He said that the need to ensure food security in states in the west was critical to Nigeria and across the world. ”The whole essence of food security of Western Nigeria is thus focused on our states maximizing their comparative advantages to guarantee increased food, jobs creation and the welfare of our people. ”I believe strongly that it is in the collective rather than individual action that a greater solution to commonly shared problems can be found.

”Today, we stand on the threshold of history. Our business in government is mainly to provide jobs and security for our people. Our aim is to seek the collective welfare of our people, ” he said. The meeting was attended by Governors Abiola Ajimobi‎ (Oyo), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Ibikunle Amosun represented by his deputy, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga (Ogun), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and the host, Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos).














Read more https://independent.ng/south-west-governors-resolve-to-embark-on-rice-accelerated-program/

we flatty jews reject diz news.
southwest governors must give us Biafra or face d consequences

Afonjas and promise and fail dey like 5$6

Nice one, other States have the land while Lagos, the market.

another scam loading

Warning: All biafrauds should stay off this thread, as you can see, none of your five useless villages are mentioned here.

Good

Sirjamo:
Warning: All biafrauds should stay off this thread, as you can see, none of your five useless villages are mentioned here.

only coscharis owned coched rice farms Anaku Anambra state. trash the combined capacity of rice farming in the whole south west states. so shut it. we don pass dis stage

Sirjamo:
Warning: All biafrauds should stay off this thread, as you can see, none of your five useless villages are mentioned here.

How can they stay off from the topic? Nor be you wan do 'one naijeriya' with them? Do you see Gambians and Botswanans commenting on your topics?

Until the contraption divides and everyone minds his business they'll keep commenting your topics in the spirit of 'one naijeriya' you want so much.

Obdk:


only coscharis owned coched rice farms Anaku Anambra state. trash the combined capacity of rice farming in the whole south west states. so shut it. we don pass dis stage

Despite my warning! you no dey hear word abi

Pavore9:
Nice one, other States have the land while Lagos, the market.

Not having land is the issue, main issue is arable soil, if land was the issue Bornu or Niger state by now will be leading states in agriculture

post=66278786:

Not having land is the issue, main issue is arable soil, if land was the issue Bornu or Niger state by now will be leading states in agriculture

Borno or Niger as you mentioned are not leading because of lack of knowledge as Israel is the boss when it comes to agriculture despite being just about the size of Cross River State and about half of Israel is desert!

If I tell you that right there in Awka, one can produce thousands of kilos strawberry on a monthly basis, you go say na lie.

Hmmm